Multiple casualties are reported following a major strike on Russian troop bases in Ukraine’s Berdiansk
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov confirmed that the explosions heard in Russian-occupied Berdiansk on 27 May were indeed at a military base.
According to Fedorov, the explosions on the Khmimiky recreation center, used by the Russians as a military base, targeted a “huge concentration” of Russian manpower and equipment, and that the occupiers sustained a “significant” amount of losses.
“We understand that a fairly significant number of occupants will never be able to fight against our Armed Forces of Ukraine again,” Fedorov said.
On May 27, the Ukrainian Army attacked recreation centers in Novopetrivka, Berdiansk district, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where the occupiers were stationed. Two explosions were reported by the local Telegram channel Berdiansk Siohodni, which shared photos and videos of the billowing smoke.
As per local Telegram channels, one explosion was heard loudest in the city center, particularly around the port area. Reports also mentioned enemy aircraft circling the area of the strike. Some sources initially reported the strike hitting a military training ground.
All photos: Berdiansk Siohodni/TG
Deputy head of the Berdiansk district council Viktor Dudukalov confirmed on air of the national telethon that the Ukrainian strikes of 27 May targeted the recreation centers Khimiki and Vesna, located on the coast of the Azov Sea, where a large number of Russian military personnel were based. He indicated that the number of Russian troops killed could be in “the hundreds.”
Explosions have been regularly occurring in Berdiansk, as well as in other Russian-occupied cities of Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022, the city of Berdiansk has been under the control of Russian forces, which have been using the city and its port infrastructure for rotating troops and equipment. Moreover, stolen Ukrainian agricultural produce has been reportedly exported through the port of Berdiansk. It is believed that the Ukrainian strikes on Berdiansk and other Azov coast cities are a precursor to Ukraine’s counteroffensive, in which Ukraine would try to break through the landbridge leading to Crimea.
On 21 May, the Ukrainian Army hit the headquarters of the Russian military in the temporarily occupied Berdiansk.
On 25 May, explosions were heard again on an airfield in Berdiansk, and also reportedly in the harbor. The Berdiansk City Military Administration reported that a Russian S-300 air defense system was destroyed.
