2023-05-16 07:01:03
Ukraine is seeking Western support to provide air defense systems to counter Russia’s advanced missiles and drones
The Ukrainian capital, Kiev, was subjected, at dawn today, to a series of Russian air strikes, which were confronted by the Ukrainian air defense systems, according to the Ukrainian News Agency.
This is the eighth air attack on Kiev since the beginning of this May, and the military authority in Kiev stated in a statement on Telegram that the attack that was launched with eighteen missiles was “complex and exceptional” in its intensity, during which a large number of missiles were launched in a very short period. , and from different directions simultaneously, and it is believed that the attack was carried out using drones, cruise missiles, and possibly ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
The Ukrainian statement added that the “vast majority” of Russian targets in Kiev’s airspace were destroyed, and some debris from the explosions fell on a number of city districts, and at least three people were injured.
Accounts interested in military affairs on digital platforms published video clips from eyewitnesses, documenting the moments of the Russian attack on Kiev.
Firefighters deal with a site damaged by the remnants of a rocket that fell in Kiev
Sirens also went off in Ukraine’s Nikolaev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Vinnytsia provinces, warning of Russian air strikes.
Ukraine has declared a state of air alert throughout its territory.
The capital was subjected to a massive attack on the night of May 14, and the air defense announced at the time that it had managed to shoot down 25 drones and three cruise missiles.
No official Russian information has yet been received regarding today’s attack.
The governor of the Russian province of Bryansk, Alexander Bogmaz, stated that the Russian Air Defense Forces shot down a Ukrainian march in Klintsy in the Bryansk region, and confirmed that the accident did not cause any injuries, except that one of the houses suffered minor damage due to the wreckage of the march, according to Bogmaz.
According to Russia, civilian sites in the Bryansk region, located on the border with Ukraine, are subject to various attacks by Ukrainian forces.
British missiles and vehicles
The UK will send hundreds of air defense missiles and military drones to Ukraine, in addition to the Storm Shadow cruise missiles announced last week.
The Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned that the increase in British aid would lead to “more destruction, but it will not have a significant impact on the course” of the conflict, according to Peskov.
Yesterday, Russia announced that it had shot down a Storm Shadow missile, the model that Britain recently delivered to Ukraine, according to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following visits to Rome, Berlin and Paris, and Zelensky said it was important for the West to send fighter jets as well.
But Sunak replied that providing combat aircraft is “not an easy task”, although he stressed that his country will play a “major role among the coalition countries” that provide this support.
Preparations for the “Counterattack”
Many observers expect that Ukraine will launch a counterattack once morest the Russian forces in the near future, as part of an attempt to regain the occupied lands.
Ukraine continues to prepare for a long-awaited counter-attack once morest Russian forces, and last week Zelensky told the BBC that his country needed more weapons before it might launch an offensive.
And Ukraine announced that it had achieved “the first success” in its attack in the vicinity of the city of Bakhmut, located in eastern Ukraine, where the battles have been concentrated for months, and which have become mostly in the hands of the Russians.
On the other hand, Russia says that it is making progress inside this city, which it has been trying to control since last summer, despite reports of its heavy losses there and without succeeding in controlling the city so far.
But the time for the counter-attack, which was announced to be imminent, has not yet come, according to Zelensky, who emphasized “preparation” for the operations, stressing in return that Kiev “needs more time.”
Storm Shadow cruise missiles can be used to destroy Russia’s positions on occupied Ukrainian territory, and these missiles will give Ukraine new capabilities as it prepares to launch a counterattack once morest Russia.
These missiles are fired from aircraft, so the long range means that Ukrainian pilots will be able to stay away from the front lines.
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