Moscow, Dec 20
Russia launched a group strike with long-range precision weapons on Friday in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on its chemical plant with Western-made missiles.
The strike targeted the Ukrainian Security Service command post, the state-run Kyiv design bureau "Luch," and positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. It indicated that the raid was in response to Ukraine's Wednesday attack on a Russian chemical plant in the Rostov region with six US-made ATACMS tactical missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.
Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces reported on Telegram that five Russian missiles targeted Kyiv but were shot down by Ukrainian air defence at around 7 am (0500 GMT). However, the fragments of the downed missiles resulted in deaths and injuries, as well as damage in five districts of Kyiv, according to Xinhua news agency.
In a significant shift of policy regarding the Ukraine crisis, the United States authorized Ukraine in November to use US long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia. This decision has triggered an escalation of tension surrounding the conflict. Earlier this week, citing a senior diplomat, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported that Russia has conducted 12 attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure so far this year, launching about 1,100 missiles. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, confirmed that these attacks involved both cruise and ballistic missiles.
Russia last week conducted one of the largest assaults this year on Ukraine's energy facilities, launching 94 missiles and 193 drones. In response, the state-run energy company Ukrenergo estimated that Ukraine had lost about nine gigawatts of generating capacity due to these strikes.
Additionally, the Russian authorities detained an Uzbek citizen in connection with the deaths of a senior military official and his assistant. The 29-year-old suspect has been accused of carrying out a terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian armed forces
The strike targeted the Ukrainian Security Service command post, the state-run Kyiv design bureau "Luch," and positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. It claimed that the raid was in response to Ukraine's Wednesday attack on a Russian chemical plant in the Rostov region with six US-made ATACMS tactical missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.
Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces stated on Telegram that five Russian missiles targeted Kyiv but were shot down by Ukrainian air defense at around 7 am (0500 GMT). However, the fragments of downed missiles resulted in deaths and injuries, as well as damage in five districts of Kyiv, according to Xinhua news agency.
In a major shift of policy regarding the Ukraine crisis, the United States in November authorized Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia, which has triggered an escalation of tension around the conflict. Earlier this week, citing a senior diplomat, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported that Russia has carried out 12 attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure so far this year, launching about 1,100 missiles. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, mentioned that these attacks involved both cruise and ballistic missiles.
Russia last week conducted one of the largest assaults this year on Ukraine's energy facilities, launching 94 missiles and 193 drones, as reported by Kyslytsya. Earlier, the state-run energy company Ukrenergo estimated that Ukraine had lost about nine gigawatts of generating capacity due to the strikes.
Later, Russian authorities detained an Uzbek citizen in connection with the deaths of a senior military official and his assistant. The 29-year-old suspect has been accused of carrying out a terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian armed forces' radiological, chemical, and biological defense troops, and his assistant. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services and given a homemade explosive device after arriving in Moscow. He allegedly placed the device on an electric scooter parked near the entrance of the building where Kirillov resided.