Russian forces strike one of Ukraine’s largest steel plants for the fourth time – photo
Two Russian ballistic missiles struck the Zaporizhstal steel plant on September 17, marking the fourth attack on the facility in a single month, according to its parent company, Metinvest.
Russian state-controlled media outlet TASS reported on September 17 that Ukrainian collaborator Elena Astanina, who headed one of Russia's election commissions in the occupied territories, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Astanina, the chairperson of Precinct Electoral Commission No. 394 in the Russian-occupied city of Tokmak, had been involved in organizing Russia's sham referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts since 2022.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims, and Ukraine has not commented on the reported strike. The incident comes as Russia prepares for elections to the Russian State Duma scheduled for September 18-20, with Russian-installed authorities planning to hold the vote in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
Ukraine's parliament had previously condemned Russia's plans to hold State Duma elections in the occupied territories.
Brief written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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