Aftermath of Ukraine rocket attack on Russia-controlled Melitopol

Ukraine attacked occupied Melitopol in the country's southeast on Saturday evening, the Russian-installed and exiled Ukrainian authorities of the strategically located city said.

The pro-Moscow authorities said that a missile attack killed two people and injured 10, while the exiled mayor said scores of "invaders" were killed. Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the attacks or deaths.

Himars multiple rocket launchers have been among Ukraine's most effective weapons in the war, delivering precision fire on hundreds of targets including Russian command posts. On Friday the US said that it was sending more aid to Kyiv to strengthen its air defences and defeat drones.

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksiy Arestovych, said that Melitopol – a major industrial and transport centre occupied by Russia since March – is key to the defence of the south.

"If Melitopol falls, the entire defence line all the way to Kherson collapses. Ukrainian forces gain a direct route to Crimea,” he said.

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