On Monday morning, Russian troops attacked cities across Ukraine with missiles, striking civilians and critical infrastructure, including electricity and heating networks. It was one of Russia’s biggest missile strikes since the start of the invasion, which began on February 24. At least 11 people were killed and 89 injured.
In the morning, Russian rockets hit crowded streets, playgrounds, residential buildings, office buildings and schools. Cars with passengers inside were burning in the streets. Ukrainian authorities are still assessing losses. Police data collected across the country show at least 11 deaths. 89 people were injured.
According to the police, at least 70 infrastructure facilities, including 29 critical infrastructure facilities, were damaged. The President’s Office reported that 117 items were damaged.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko assessed the Russian attacks on energy facilities as “the largest in the entire war”.
In four regions of Ukraine – Lviv, Poltava, Sumy and Ternopol – there were still problems with electricity supply in the evening. In Kiev, authorities announced a two-hour power outage.
The capital was the target of attacks (for the first time since June) and Many Ukrainian citiesincluding Kharkiv, Dnieper, Kryvyi Rih, Kremenchuk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Pryluky, Nisin, Konotop, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Lviv and Rivne.
On Monday evening, Ukrainian army generals damaged infrastructure in more than 20 cities, and the threat of missile attacks lingered across the country.
“The Russian occupation army, which has no achievements on the battlefield, uses the tactics of terrorizing the citizens of Ukraine. Violating the norms of international humanitarian law, laws and principles of war, it attacks critical infrastructure and residential buildings” – emphasized in the press release.
In Monday’s massive attack, Russian troops fired at least 84 cruise missiles and 24 drones, including 13 Iranian kamikaze drones – the Shahed-136. Civil servants said 43 missiles and 13 drones were shot down. Shahed drones, according to public servants, flew, incl. From the territory of Belarus and occupied Crimea.
Russia used Ch-101 and Ch-555 missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Iskander short-range ballistic missiles, among others, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said. S-300 and Tornado rocket launchers were also hit.
“Russian planes take off from near Astrakhan and fly over the northern part of the Caspian Sea from where they attack. They (Russians) struck, but in which direction “- explained Ihnat, quoted by the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
A military intelligence report said it was one of preparations to bring seven Tu-160 strategic bombers equipped with Ch-101 cruise missiles to Olenia Airfield in northern Russia’s Murmansk region on Saturday. Earlier, the engines were grounded at the airport in the city of Engels in the Saratov region in the southern part of the country. In addition, six ships capable of launching 40-caliber cruise missiles sailed from the port of Sevastopol to the Black Sea.
“The main goal of the terrorist state is to destroy the heat and power plant, create panic among the Ukrainian population and threaten the European population,” military intelligence estimated.
Zełeński: We are dealing with terrorists
The experts’ comments appeared in reaction to Russia’s massive brutal attack Damage to the Crimean BridgeUkrainian forces can stand behind it. In a broader context, analysts believe these are actions intended to satisfy a desire for retaliation by some Russian elites and to cover up Russian failures up front. They also insist that the purpose of the Russian attacks is to spread panic, intimidate Ukrainians and force Ukrainian authorities to make negotiated concessions.
While the attacks may have an image-related impact on the tarnished reputation of the Russian leadership, analysts estimate that they are not militarily effective in Russia’s war. – We are dealing with terrorists who fired dozens of rockets and Iranian Shahed drones – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video released on Monday. “The Russians have two goals: to destroy the energy infrastructure across the country and to cause huge losses to civilians,” he stressed.
Main photo source: PAP / EPA / ROMAN PILIPEY
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