The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that there was a bombing against a military factory in kyiv, a day after Moscow warned that it was going to intensify its attacks against the Ukrainian capital.
“Long-range, high-precision air-to-ground weapons destroyed buildings at an arms production plant in kyiv“, the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram network.
A US Defense Department official said the 186-meter-long Russian cruiser was hit by two Ukrainian missiles on Thursday, calling it a “major blow” to Russia.
Russia had so far said that the ‘Moskva’ was damaged on Wednesday by a fire after the explosion of its own ammunition and that the crew – some 500 men according to available sources – had been evacuated. Some claims that a Ukrainian military officer denied.
“We watched as the ships tried to help, but even the forces of nature were on the side of Ukraine“, since “a storm prevented the rescue of the ship and the evacuation of the crew,” said Natalia Gumeniuk, spokeswoman for the military command of southern Ukraine.
“We are perfectly aware that they will not forgive us,” he added, referring to Russia and possible new attacks.
The loss of the ‘Moskva’ is a serious blow to Russia because “it ensured air cover from other ships during their operations, especially for the bombardment of the coast and landing maneuvers,” explained the spokesman for the Odessa military administration, Sergei Bratchuk.
(Also: Ukraine warns of Russian nuclear risk after military setbacks).
Fear of a nuclear attack
In this context, the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, considered that “the whole world” should be “concerned” about the risk that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, cornered by his military setbacks in Ukraine, would use a tactical nuclear weapon.
Zelensky echoed the statements of CIA director William Burns, who estimated this week that no one should “take lightly the nuclear threat” from Russia.
In this context, Germany, criticized by Ukraine and some European allies for alleged lack of support for kyiv, announced on Friday the release of more than 1,000 million euros in military aid for Ukraine.
In a new video message, Zelensky reiterated to Western countries that they can “make the war much shorter“if they supply kyiv with the weapons it requests.
But in a diplomatic note, Russia warned the United States and NATO against sending “more sensitive” weapons to Ukraine, judging that such military equipment put “fuel on the fire” and could cause “unforeseeable consequences,” according to the newspaper. ‘Washington Post’.
The White House this week announced a new $800 million military aid package that includes helicopters and armored vehicles.
Attack on Kyiv
For the first time in two weeks, kyiv was once again the target of a Russian attack. The target was a factory on the outskirts of the capital where Neptune missiles are manufactured. with which Ukraine claims to have sunk the Moskva.
(You can read: The Pope sent a cardinal to celebrate Via Crucis today in Bucha, Ukraine).
According to ‘AFP’ journalists, the plant and the adjacent administrative building, located about 30 km southwest of kyiv, suffered significant damage.
The Russians carried out three attacks on Friday in the kyiv region, said its governor, Alexander Pavliuk, without specifying whether this included the Vizar company.
Shortly before, the Russian Defense Ministry had threatened to increase “the number and magnitude of attacks” against the capital “in response to all terrorist-type attacks and sabotage” allegedly perpetrated on its territory, denied by Ukraine.
On the other hand, the head of the Russian National Defense Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, accused kyiv of preparing an attack on Ukrainian civilians fleeing the Kharkov region (in the east) and then accuse the Russians of the massacre.
On previous occasions, Moscow has blamed kyiv for attacks apparently carried out by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians in cities such as Mariupol and Kramatorsk.
Shots fired at evacuees
The Kharkov region, whose homonymous capital is the second Ukrainian city, is being targeted by intense bombing.
(Also: Ukraine sinks the Moskva ship, the symbol of the Russian navy).
The prosecution reported on Friday seven civilians dead and 27 wounded by shots fired at evacuation buses. In addition, at least 10 people were killed, including a seven-month-old baby, in an attack on a Kharkov residential area, said regional governor Oleg Sinegubov.
In Bucha, a town near kyiv that has become a symbol of atrocities attributed to Russian forces, 95% of people found dead were killed, kyiv region police chief Andrii Nebitov said.
“During the (Russian) occupation people were shot in the streets (…) It is impossible to hide this type of crime in the 21st century. Not only are there witnesses, but it was also recorded on video“, said.
The mayor of Bucha, Anatoli Fedoruk, assured that more than 400 bodies had been found after the departure of the Russian troops.
Attacks in Donbas
In eastern Ukraine, in the Donbas region, Donetsk was the scene of fighting “on the front line”, in which three people were killed and seven others were injured, according to the Ukrainian presidency. Another area of this mining basin, Lugansk was the target of 24 bombardments, which caused two deaths and 10 injuries, according to the same source.
Russia, whose announced major offensive in Donbas has not yet started, has problems fully controlling Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of Azov that would allow it to link Donbas with the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014.
This city, besieged for more than 40 days, could lead to the worst balance of human losses in this war. The Ukrainian authorities fear that there are about 20,000 dead.
(In other news: Russia’s dangerous threat to Sweden and Finland if they join NATO).
After weeks of tightening the siege on the besieged city, the Russian troops find resistance especially in the extensive industrial area on the coast.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said nearly 2,900 civilians had been evacuated from Mariupol and neighboring Berdyansk to kyiv-controlled Zaporizhia.
More than five million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). During a visit to Ukraine, David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), which belongs to the United Nations, requested access to the besieged areas and cities, where people are “starving”.
More news
-How war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are defined
-‘Ukraine is a crime scene,’ says ICC prosecutor
-The United States denounces ‘regression’ of the DD. H H. around the world
#Russia #attacks #missile #factory #kyiv #Zelensky #requests #weapons