Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive

The eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad was rocked by a massive explosion on Monday night following a series of Russian strikes, with unconfirmed reports that ammunition depots and railway infrastructure were hit.

Serhiy Lysak, governor of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, said one strike hit an industrial center and triggered a fire, which has since been put out. Video purporting to show the aftermath has been posted on social media showing a large inferno with billowing flames and smoke.

Russian forces are continuing their assault on the Donbas city of Bakhmut, which they have been trying to capture for months amidst growing speculation the Ukrainian military is preparing for a major counterattack.

The Russian state-owned Tass news agency reported the strikes in Pavlohrad hit "railroad infrastructure and ammunition and fuel depots," citing Vladimir Rogov, head of the pro-Kremlin 'We are Together with Russia Movement', as its source.

On Telegram Rogov added: "The locals tell me about massive landings on railroad infrastructure and fuel and ammunition depots, which Ukrainian militants have accumulated for the counteroffensive."

Overnight, a wave of 11 Russian strategic bombers fired 18 missiles at targets in Ukraine, according to General Valeri Zaluzhny, who commands the Ukrainian military. Zaluzhny claimed 15 of these were destroyed by air defenses, including all those aimed at Kyiv, but confirmed Pavlohrad was struck, injuring 34 people including three children.

On Twitter, Tymofiy Mylovanov, an advisor to the Ukrainian government and formerly its Minister of Economy, speculated the attack could have been retaliation for Ukraine striking a Russian oil depot in Crimea on Saturday.

He wrote: "My uninformed, not-my-field-casual-observer guess is that Russia was embarrassed by the Sevastopol hit. So it had to hit something for propaganda. Ukraine protects critical assets, and doesn't keep them concentrated. So Russia hit something less relevant but combustible."

Newsweek has contacted both the Russian and Ukrainian Defense Ministries for comment by email.

On Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine is planning a counter-offensive, during an interview with Scandinavian media.

He commented: "There will be a counterattack, and I think it will succeed. I will not give details. Have we had enough armaments for that? I would say that we are on the way to the fact that we are."

Also on Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, commander of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, threatened to pull his men back from Bakhmut unless they receive additional ammunition.

According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, he warned Wagner forces would soon need to "withdraw in an organized manner or stay and die," and urged Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to "issue ammunition immediately."