War in Ukraine, day 795. A hotel in Nikolaiev was hit by a drone launched by the Russians

The most important events of the last 24 hours:

• Russia announced on Sunday that it had intercepted and destroyed 17 Ukrainian drones
• A hotel in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaiev was hit by a drone launched by the Russians. The building was destroyed
• The Ukrainian army denies withdrawing US-supplied Abrams tanks from the front
• Slovak activists raised 3.9 million euros to buy ammunition for Ukraine
• Prime Minister of Poland: One of the Russian missiles fell 15 km from our border
• The oil refinery in Slaviansk partially suspended its activity after an attack by ten drones

Update 10:30 – Russia announces on Sunday that it has intercepted and destroyed 17 Ukrainian drones in several regions in the west of the country, reports AFP.

“During the night (from Saturday to Sunday), a new attempt by the Kiev regime to commit terrorist attacks with drones against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted,” the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in a statement posted on Telegram .

Russian anti-missile defense “intercepted and destroyed 17 Ukrainian drones”, announced the ministry.

Nine of the drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region, on the border with Ukraine, he says.

The other Russian regions targeted are Kursk, where three drones were shot down, Belgorod and Kaluga, the ministry details.

Ukraine, where the Russian army has been on the offensive for over two years, has increased its attacks against Russia in recent months, targeting energy targets.

Kiev has promised to move the fight to Russian territory, in retaliation for the numerous Russian bombings on Ukrainian territory.

Update 09:00 – A hotel in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaiev was hit by a drone launched by the Russians. The building was destroyed. The Russians claim the hotel is being used by mercenaries.

A fire broke out following the attack. The Ukrainian governor of the region claims that there are no victims, according to Reuters.

“The enemy attacked the city with an unmanned aerial vehicle of the type “Shahed-131/136. As a result, a hotel building was badly damaged, a fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished… There are no casualties”, Nikolaiev Governor Vitaly Kim announced on Telegram.

Update – The Ukrainian army denies an information published by the Associated Press (AP), which said that the Ukrainian forces withdrew the Abrams tanks supplied by the US from the front, the Kyiv Independent reports.

“Tanks do a great job on the battlefield and we will certainly not hide from the enemy what makes them hide. Furthermore, we will not leave our infantry without strong fire support,” said the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine, which operates the American tanks, on Telegram.

Earlier, the Associated Press had published following the dialogue with two American military officials who wished to remain anonymous, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces removed the American Abrams tanks from the front line, because of the Russian drones.

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War in Ukraine, April 23, 2024 | Russia announces that it will “more intensively” bomb Ukrainian bases with Western weapons