The Russian military confirmed missile strikes in Ukraine early Tuesday, claiming to have hit “all designated targets”, while the Ukrainian armed forces claimed to have shot down most of the missiles and “drones.”
“This morning the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a concentrated attack with long-range and precision weapons, both by air and by sea, on the deployment points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the depots of ammunition, weapons and military weapons supplied by Western countries,” said Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
Konashenkov assured that “all designated targets were hit”.
Without providing evidence, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed it destroyed a US Patriot anti-aircraft system in Kiev and intercepted seven British Storm Shadow missiles.
Konashenkov’s statements come after the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that Ukraine’s air defenses shot down six supersonic missiles, nine cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital this Tuesday, in an attack that began around 3:30 a.m. (01:30 a.m.). Lisbon).
The Russian attack on Kiev was “exceptional in its intensity, given the number of attack missiles launched in a short period of time,” said Sergii Popko, head of the Kiev Military Administration.
“According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in Kiev airspace have been detected and destroyed,” Popko said.
In addition to the missiles, Russia launched nine “drones” (unmanned aerial vehicles) made in Iran, which the Ukrainians also claimed destroyed.
It is the eighth time that the capital of Ukraine has been bombed in this month of May, with at least three injured in the attack this morning.
The attack also comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has toured several European capitals, meeting the leaders of Ukraine’s main Western allies, after receiving promises of increased military aid.
Konashenkov also admitted on Tuesday that Russian troops were in a defensive position on the outskirts of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian units have been regaining territory in recent days.
The Russian military spokesman stressed that “the most complicated situation” is in the area of the town of Krasnoye (Ivanivske), southwest of Bakhmut.
The Ukrainians will also advance towards Chasiv Yar and Bohdanivka, positions that are constantly bombarded by Russian aircraft.
Konashenkov also referred that the Russian assault units, referring to the mercenaries of the Wagner Group, continued their offensive operations in the city of Bakhmut itself, specifically in the western zone, where the last Ukrainian soldiers were resisting.
According to the head of the paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukrainian troops maintain only two small sectors, in the west and southwest of Bakhmut. At the same time, Prigozhin admitted that there were problems on the flanks defended by regular Russian troops.
Information provided by the parties about the situation on the fronts cannot be immediately and independently confirmed.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14.7 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.2 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
At least 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and housing.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented as confirmed more than 8,700 civilian deaths and more than 14,800 wounded since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
