Ukrainian forces stage fresh attacks on Russian towns as Mariupol evacuations resume

Ukrainian forces have staged fresh attacks on targets inside the Russian territory even as the UN-backed evacuation of civilians from the besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol gets underway.

The governor of Russia's Kursk region, which shares a border with Ukraine, on Sunday said a railway bridge used for freight trains had been targeted by Ukrainian forces.

Speaking in a video posted on his Telegram channel, Roman Starovoit termed the incident an act of sabotage.

The neighboring Belgorod region's governor said a fire on a defense ministry facility in the region also bordering Ukraine had left one person injured.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said a resident suffered minor injuries from the fire. He also said that seven homes were damaged as a result of the incident.

Ukrainian warplane strikes Russia’s Bryansk region

Russia says it has thwarted a violation of its airspace in Bryansk region bordering Ukraine.

Last month a Ukrainian helicopter had targeted a fuel depot in Belgorod. Kiev denied the attack as well as shelling of villages and firing missiles at an ammunition depot.

Early on Saturday, Russia’s Bryansk Region also came under an attack from Ukraine, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said.

Russian air defense systems detected the attempt by a Ukrainian military plane to violate the country’s airspace, Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.

The aircraft was prevented from making it into Russia, but managed to fire two projectiles, which landed in the village of Zhecha, not far from the shared border with Ukraine, he explained.

Fatalities and injuries were not reported in the attack, but the facilities of the local oil loading terminal suffered minor damage.

Several Russian regions that share a border with Ukraine have also reported cross-border shelling incidents since the Kremlin ordered its troops into eastern Ukraine on Feb. 24 to carry out what it described as a "special military operation".

Meanwhile, Ukraine's southern port city of Mariupol has resumed the evacuation of citizens holed up in the conflict-marred zone.

Russia announces ceasefire around steel plant in Ukraine’s Mariupol to allow civilian evacuation

Russia has announced a ceasefire around the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine’s Mariupol to allow a civilian evacuation.

“The Mariupol humanitarian operation will continue until we achieve our goals — saving the lives of our citizens,” Iryna Vereshyuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said in a message on Telegram.

Mariupol City Council has said the UN and Red Cross secured two extra areas from where civilians will be evacuated on Monday – the village of Manhush and Lunacharske Circle near Berdyansk.

Russia had announced a ceasefire around the giant fortress-like Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol to allow a civilian evacuation from the flashpoint industrial area.

More than 5.5 million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its operation in February, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

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