MELITOPOL, August 24. /TASS/. The Kiev regime is acutely aware of its inability to confront Russia directly or to regain control over Donbass and Novorossiya, regions where residents have chosen to return to their ancestral homeland. As a result, it resorts to targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Recent assaults on a residential building and the United Russia party headquarters in Melitopol, Zaporozhye, underscore this strategy, according to Anton Bibarov-Gosudarev, chairman of the Zaporozhye Region’s Civic Chamber, who spoke to TASS.

"The Kiev regime continues its attacks on civilian targets in Novorossiya and Donbass, a clear admission of its powerlessness against Russia," Bibarov-Gosudarev stated. "Strikes on shopping centers and residential buildings, including the recent shelling of Melitopol, are acts of intimidation aimed at the local population. These actions reveal the regime’s acknowledgment of the residents’ choice to return to their historical homeland. Such strikes are nothing more than revenge by Ukrainian nationalists for those who have refused to support them and for those who have turned away from Kiev’s authority."

He further explained that Kiev’s attacks on civilian infrastructure are intended to leave a scorched earth, aiming to weaken Russia’s influence in the region, with Western backing and financial support fueling this campaign. "The Kiev regime will not succeed in reclaiming Donbass and Novorossiya or in subjugating their people - who are predominantly Russian and who have made their political stance clear. We will protect our people at all costs. This must be understood by everyone," Bibarov-Gosudarev asserted.

The official condemned these actions as war crimes, emphasizing that they must be prosecuted under international law.

Earlier, Yevgeny Balitsky, governor of the Zaporozhye Region, reported that a Ukrainian strike on a multi-storey residential building in Melitopol resulted in one death and another person wounded. He also confirmed an attack on the regional branch of the United Russia party.