Tanks of pro-Russian troops drive on the road during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 17, 2022. REUTERS / Alexander Ermochenko
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
April 18 (Reuters) – Russia said Monday it had launched massive strikes overnight on Ukraine’s military and related military targets, using its air force, missile forces, artillery and air defense systems to hit hundreds of targets. its southern neighbor.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that air-to-air missiles destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities overnight, including five command posts, a fuel depot and three ammunition depots, as well as Ukrainian armor and forces.
It says the strikes were in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions and in the port of Nikolaev, and that the Russian air force has struck 108 areas where it says Ukrainian forces and armor are concentrated.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
The Ministry of Defense has accused Ukraine of planning “monstrous provocations” with massive civilian casualties designed to throw Russian forces into a bad light.
In particular, it says that Ukraine plans to shell Orthodox churches and cathedrals in various Ukrainian regions on the night of April 23, on the eve of Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated by most Ukrainians and Russians. He said there was evidence to support his claims, but did not provide any. There was no immediate response to the accusations from Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia’s Defense Ministry is also talking about the destruction of 12 Ukrainian drones and tanks in other parts of Ukraine and the use of Iskander missiles to destroy four weapons and equipment depots in the Luhansk, Vinnytsia and Donetsk regions.
Russia, which sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, has vowed to continue what it calls a “special military operation” to humiliate the Ukrainian military and eradicate what it calls dangerous nationalists until it has fulfilled all its goals.
He is currently focusing on attempts to take full control of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which has been under siege for weeks.
The defense ministry said Russian artillery had also hit 315 Ukrainian military targets overnight and that air defense systems had been used to shoot down two MiG-29 fighters and a Su-25.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
Reuters report; Edited by Raju Gopalakrishnan
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
Add Comment