Russia-Ukraine War: Russia launches strikes on Ukrainian military targets
Russia-Ukraine War: According to a report by RT, the Defence Ministry in Moscow announced on Thursday that Russia executed long-range attacks on Ukrainian military sites, employing a range of weaponry such as hypersonic air-launched Kinzhal missiles.
According to RT, the operation struck several weapons plants and airfields, with Moscow confirming earlier reports of an attack from Kiev. Ukraine's military claimed it intercepted most of the incoming drones and missiles but acknowledged successful Russian strikes at 13 locations, as well as additional damage caused by debris from downed weapons.
One of the attacks was reportedly captured on CCTV, with footage circulating online showing two missiles hitting the same location in central Kiev. Some reports identified the site as the office of defence company Ukrspecsystems on Zhilyanskaya Street, which police cordoned off on Thursday, RT noted.
Ukrspecsystems, founded in 2014, manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles, including the long-range PD-2, which has reportedly been used in kamikaze drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow.
Separately, Lviv city council member Igor Zinkevich claimed that Russia also struck a plant in Kyiv operated by Turkish defence firm Bayraktar, adding that the attack was the fourth of its kind in six months.
Last week, Ukrainian media reported the production launch of a cruise missile dubbed Flamingo, with an estimated range of 3,000 kilometres and a payload of up to 1,000 kilograms. Images of the weapon showed similarities to the FP-5 system, which the British-UAE defence firm Milanion Group unveiled earlier this year at an arms expo in Abu Dhabi.
According to RT, Russia's Federal Security Service announced earlier this month that it conducted a military operation against Ukraine's Sapsan ballistic missile program, claiming to have penetrated the project and inflicted significant damage through follow-up attacks. Moscow has consistently alleged that Western countries are using Ukraine as a proxy by providing arms and financial support, asserting that Kiev's military campaign is unsustainable and benefits foreign interests over Ukrainian ones.