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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Tom Davidson

Mushroom cloud erupts over Ukraine city after Russians target gas pipeline

A mushroom cloud blotted the sky after an explosion at a gas pipeline near a Ukrainian city.

Russian forces are suspected to be targeting infrastructure sites near key cities as they continue their brutal and bloody invasion.

Yesterday evening the cloud was seen near Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, which is to the east of capital Kyiv.

Cities such as Kharkiv and Kyiv are expected to come under intense pressure from Kremlin troops overnight.

In the capital citizens have been armed with AK-47s and urged to create Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs) so they can repel the invaders.

For all the updates on the war follow our dedicated liveblog

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has refused an offer from Western allies to flee Kyiv and has pledged to fight alongside his countrymen against Russian forces.

The UK Ministry of Defence has said that Russian forces "are not making the progress they had planned".

"They are suffering from logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance," a short statement released on Twitter reads.

There are also reports this evening that an oil depot in Vasylkiv, a city in the Kyiv region, has been hit by a Russian rocket.

Local media reported both the city's mayor Nataliia Balasynovych, as well as Ukraine government adviser Anton Geraschenko, have confirmed the hit.

Footage on social media shows huge flames billowing from the terminal.

People living nearby have been told to close their doors and windows to keep out the acrid and possibly dangerous smoke.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the Russian advance had been temporarily halted – and denied Moscow’s claim that it had captured the south-eastern city of Melitopol.

Footage on social media shows huge flames billowing from the terminal (ALISA YAKUBOVYCH/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

President Zelensky, meanwhile, also staged a dawn address to tell EU leaders: “This might be the last time you see me alive.”

He added: “The occupiers wanted to block the centre of our state... we broke their plan.

“We will fight as long as it takes to liberate the country.”

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