On Thursday morning, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine with “more than 30 Russian missiles,” hours following the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 24 Iranian-made attack drones, the army announced.
Army spokesman Yuri Ignat said: “6 Tu-95 bombers took off from the (Russian) Murmansk region and fired missiles. We expect more than 30 missiles, some of which began to appear in different areas.” At least 15 of them were shot down.
The governors of regions indicated the operation of anti-aircraft defense systems.
The Ukrainian Air Force had earlier announced the downing of a group of Iranian-made attack drones launched by Russian forces from the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine.
“Drones were launched from the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov. According to preliminary information, the enemy used 24 Shahed (Iranian-made) drones. All of them were destroyed,” the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement on Telegram.
Since October, Russia has launched a series of air strikes once morest Ukraine, mainly targeting energy facilities.
The attacks crippled the power grid and prompted Ukraine to beef up its air defense systems, with the support of Kyiv’s Western allies.
The attack comes Thursday morning, a day following Ukraine’s Western allies, including Germany and the United States, pledged to provide Kyiv with modern tanks.
Following the Russian missile launch, an explosion occurred in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said: “An explosion in Kyiv! Stay in the shelters!”
Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region, also announced via the Telegram messaging app that two Russian missiles had been detected over the region. He said: “The missiles are flying inside Ukrainian territory. At least two (headed) to the northwest through the Mykolaiv region.”
Ukraine launched Air raid alert In most parts of the country, authorities in various regions have warned of a possible missile attack. Officials asked residents to take cover.
Senior officials confirmed to Archyde.com that the air defense units had intercepted the Russian missiles.
Electricity company DTEK said it was carrying out emergency power cuts in the capital Kyiv and the rest of the Kiev region, as well as the Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk regions due to the threat of a missile attack.
Russia has targeted Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with missile and drone strikes since October, causing widespread power outages.
American and German tanks are legitimate Russian targets
In the context, the head of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, Leonid Slutsky, said that the American tank battalion will not help Ukraine seize Crimea or change the course of the Russian special operation.
Slutsky added that any attempt to seize Crimea will receive a harsh response, he said.
He also indicated that all American or German tanks that were announced to be supplied to Kiev would become legitimate targets for the Russian army.
