The exiled mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said on September 17 that he had heard a massive explosion in the occupied city of Tokmak in the southeast division of Zaporizhzhia.
The British Ministry of Defense stated earlier today that they have reason to believe Russian soldiers have increased their defenses in the area of Tokmak. The 58th Russian Combined Arms Army, which controls the region, has recently built new checkpoints, anti-tank hedgehogs, and trenches.
According to locals, Russian air defense troops’ response has resulted in injuries to civilians.
Vladimir Rogov, leader of the Kremlin-backed We Are Together with Russia campaign, said that Ukraine launched a missile attack on Tokmak. He stated that 11 people were hurt and that homes and other civilian infrastructure were damaged during the incident. Rogov claims the incident happened between 13:30 and 13:40 on September 24.
Fedorov reported on Telegram that Tokmak once again heard loud explosions.
In his post, he suggested that the occupants accept this as a sign that it was time for them to return to Russia.
Fedorov stated on September 23 that for the second day in a row, explosions could be heard in occupied Tokmak.
Explosions could be heard early in the morning coming from the area of Novyi Melitopol, a local news station in the city reports.
There have been numerous reports of explosions in the Melitopol area since the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched their counteroffensive in June.
There have been reports of dozens of wounded Russian soldiers being transported to city hospitals.
France and Germany have stepped up their efforts to aid Ukraine in its offensive.
On September 28, the French minister visited the Ukrainian capital to examine how Paris could help “in real time” during a sustained military attack from Russia. As Minister Lecornu underscored, France plans to be patient in its support for Ukraine.
According to the French Ministry of Defense, roughly 20 contracts were signed with Ukrainian entrepreneurs while French Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu was in Kyiv with a team of defense technology company executives.
