Russia launched missiles and drones into Ukrainian-held Mykolaiv on Sunday, destroying an apartment block there and declaring that the war was moving towards "uncontrolled escalation."
There were no fatalities recorded.
Oleksandr Mezinov, a resident who was awoken from his bed by the blast told Reuters, "After the first blast, I tried to get out, but the door was stuck. After a minute or two, there was a second loud blast. Our door was blown into the corridor. "
Residential building damaged by a Russian missile attack. Image: Reuters.
According to the regional governor, Vitaliy Kim on Telegram, Ukraine shot down 14 Russian "kamikaze" drones overnight over Mykolaiv.
The drones which are built to blow up upon impact have pounded Ukraine's energy infrastructure this month.
Kim said also that it was one of the S-300 missiles fired by Russia that hit the five-story apartment building.
Mykolaiv is located about 35 km (22 miles) northwest of the front line to occupied Kherson, the southern part of Ukraine.
According to the Russian Ministry, the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu spoke with his counterparts in France and Turkey about the "rapidly deteriorating situation."
Without providing evidence, Shoigu said Ukraine could escalate with a "dirty bomb" which are conventional explosives loaded with radioactive material.
A residential building was damaged by a Russian missile attack in Mykolaiv. Image: Reuters.
Russia has said it could deploy its nuclear arsenal to protect Russian territory.
Russian authorities evacuate civilians from Kherson in anticipation of Ukraine's counter-offensive.
In response to Ukraine's advances around Kherson and the country's northeast in recent weeks, Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, destroying about 40% of Ukraine's power system just ahead of winter.
One man was killed and three injured after a blast in Kherson city, according to a Russian state news agency.
Emergency services reported that an improvised explosive device went off close to a car in the city.
Civilians were being evacuated from Kherson. Image: Reuters.
Before an anticipated battle for Kherson, occupation authorities are evacuating civilians further into Russian-held territory.
Russia has ordered about 60,000 people living in Kherson "to save your lives" and flee in anticipation of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have withdrawn from portions of the front.
"The situation today is difficult. It's vital to save your lives," Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said in a video message. "It won't be for long. You will return," he added.
On Sunday, officials installed there by Russia complained that there were not enough vessels to ferry people across the river, attributing this to a "sharp increase in the number of people wishing to leave."
Since Tuesday, about 25,000 people have been evacuated, according to the Interfax news agency.
Kherson is the regional capital on the west bank of the Dnipro river and a gateway to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Russian missile attacks have struck on a very wide scale - Zelensky.
Russia has accused Kyiv of firing rockets at the Nova Kakhovka dam with the intent to destroy it. Ukrainian officials described the comment as a sign that Moscow would blow up the dam and blame it on Kyiv.
Both sides have made accusations about the dam, but neither has produced proof to support those claims.
A breach of the dam could cause Kherson and much of southern Ukraine to be flooded. The dam supplies water to Crimea and the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
said the attacks by Russia on Ukraine's energy infrastructure had struck on a "very wide" scale.
However, he promised that with help from its allies, his military would improve on an already good record of downing missiles.
Freezing misery looms.
As the war is about to enter its ninth month and winter was fast approaching, the possibility of freezing misery loomed.
Presidential adviser, Kyrylo Tymoshenko said that more than a million people were without fire. According to a city official, strikes could cause power and heat outages that might last for days or weeks in Kyiv.
Moscow has acknowledged targeting energy infrastructure but denies targeting civilians in what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Politics and Opinion.
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