KYIV -- Ukraine’s military late on November 11 said the situation in the east and south of the country “remains difficult,” citing dozens of Russian air strikes and rocket attacks, even as Ukraine marked the first anniversary of the liberation of the strategic city of Kherson.
Reports also surfaced late on November 11 that Ukrainian forces had retaken the village of Topoli in the Kharkiv region about 5 kilometers from the Russian border.
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said earlier on November 11 that Russian forces for the day had launched 41 air strikes and 44 rocket launches against “positions of our troops and populated areas,” hitting private residential buildings and infrastructure sites.
“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded among the civilian population,” the General Staff said without being specific.
“The operational situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult.”
The military statement added that during the day, Ukrainian air forces carried out 10 strikes on "areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the enemy,” claiming to have destroyed a Russian S-400 antiaircraft guided missile system, among other hardware.
Battlefield claims from either side cannot immediately be verified.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force overnight issued a warning of drone attacks, reporting that defense forces had destroyed five unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Mykolayiv, Poltava, and Kyiv regions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram that air-defense forces had been activated and civilians should take shelter. No injuries were reported
The alarms came as Ukraine marked the first anniversary of the liberation of the southern city of Kherson, the only regional administrative center captured by Russian forces during the massive invasion launched in February 2022. Amid a lightning counteroffensive by Ukraine in the late autumn of 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered troops to withdraw from the city on November 9. Kyiv announced the liberation of the city two days later.
During the months of occupation, Russian forces caused considerable destruction to the city’s infrastructure and looted its two main museums.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Facebook thanked the people of the city for their “stability and faith in Ukraine” during the occupation and “each of the soldiers who made this possible.”
In a post on Telegram, General Kyrylo Budanov, head of military intelligence, called the liberation of the city “a significant turning point.”
Ukraine’s border guard published photos and a video showing its forces raising the country’s national flag reportedly in the village of Topoli in an area where the Ukrainian military said Russian forces had conducted “unsuccessful assault actions.” Details were not available.
During its daily briefing on November 11, the Ukrainian General Staff reported some 87 clashes over the previous 24 hours, saying that Russia has launched numerous missile strikes, artillery salvos, and air strikes targeting “the positions of our troops and populated areas.”
The General Staff reported Ukrainian forces were “continuing assault operations” near the eastern city of Bakhmut and in other parts of the Donetsk region, including around Maryinka and Novomykhaylivka.
Meanwhile, at least two incidents of possible sabotage were reported inside Russia on November 11.
Russian authorities said a criminal investigation has been opened after a freight train with 19 wagons derailed in the Ryazan region, injuring at least one member of the rail staff. Officials said it appeared that an explosive device had detonated prior to the derailment.
Another suspected sabotage incident was reported at a Russian munitions factory in Kotovsk in the Tambov region. Residents reported hearing an explosion at the site before a fire broke out.
A number of suspected sabotage cases have been reported in Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, although details usually are scarce and potential perpetrators are often unknown.
The Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin visited Russian military headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on November 10 for an update on military operations against Ukraine. He was reportedly accompanied by Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s General Staff.
It was the fifth time Putin, 71, has visited the southern military district in the 20 months since Moscow invaded its neighbor.