Russian Forces Control Melitopol City, Have Destroyed 821 Ukrainian Military Targets: Moscow
The Russian army has destroyed 821 objects of the military infrastructure of Ukraine, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said.
“Among them are 14 military airfields, 19 command posts and communication centres, 24 S-300 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, 48 radar stations. 7 combat aircraft, 7 helicopters, and 9 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down. 87 tanks and other combat aircraft were destroyed, as well as armoured vehicles, 28 multiple launch rocket systems, and 118 units of special military vehicles,” Konashenkov said.
“The forces of the Russian Navy destroyed 8 military boats of the Ukrainian Navy,” he added.
Konashenkov said that the Russian Armed Forces had launched a strike at night with sea- and land-based cruise missiles at military facilities in Ukraine.
“During the night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a strike with long-range precision weapons, using air- and sea-based cruise missiles against Ukraine’s military infrastructure,” the general said.
Konashenkov said that the Russian armed forces have established full control over the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in the south of the country.
On Thursday, Russia launched a special operation to demilitarize and degasify Ukraine, responding to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics for help in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and that the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stated it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.
The operation was authorized days after Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed decrees recognizing the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) people’s republics. Under new treaties, Moscow pledged to ensure the security of the two Russian-speaking republics.
Russia’s decision to recognize the DPR and LPR comes after a significant deterioration of the situation along the line of contact, as Ukrainian forces intensified the shelling of Donbass.
Source: Agencies