Ukrainian troops attacked a barracks in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol on the night of December 10. Some Ukrainian sources claim dozens of Russian casualties. According to witnesses, a total of 10 explosions were heard, although some of them may have come from Russian air defense system . Ukrainian officials said the explosion killed and injured dozens of Russian soldiers, while Russia admitted a small number of casualties.
reported that Ukraine received a new GMRLS Himas missile with a range of up to 150 kilometers from the United States. These missiles were used for the first time to strike a Russian military base in Melitopol.
Video footage posted on social media shows that a Russian barracks in the south of the city were allegedly engulfed by fires, and some people claimed that the explosion had been requisitioned by Wagner mercenaries. Another video shows rescuers found several bodies in the ruins. The explosion site is a resort and hotel complex adjacent to a church in the city, known as the Hunter's Manor, used as a barracks, with most of the casualties apparently in a canteen.
The attack on Melitopol was reportedly one of several attacks overnight at a Russian base. The Russian-occupied Crimea , including Sevastopol and Simferopol , also exploded overnight.
The author believes that the next focus of the Ukrainian army's offensive is likely to be Melitopol, because the city is a transportation hub for the Donbass to southern Ukraine and Crimea. If the Ukrainian army occupy the Melitopol area, the connection and transportation logistics of Ukrainian eastern Donbass and the Russian-occupied southern Ukraine will be cut off, which is of great strategic significance to the Ukrainian army's recovery of Crimea.
