KIEV, UKRAINE (AP) – Russian forces fired another wave of missiles and suicide drones early Thursday morning into her nearly 12 provinces in Ukraine, resulting in the first attack-related deaths of the year in Kyiv, and across the country. At least 11 of him died.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian National Ambulance Service, Oleksandr Hornzi, announced the number of victims in comments to Ukrainian television. He also said at least 11 people were injured in the attack.
The attacks followed Russia’s recent pattern of launching widespread attacks approximately every two weeks. But the latest strike raises the stakes in Russia’s 11-month war by pledging to send high-tech main battle tanks to Ukraine and giving other allies the green light to do the same. It happened the next day. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed in the attack. Two others were said to have been injured. Kyiv city chief executive Serhii Popko said Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 15 of his cruise missiles heading for the region.
The regional prosecutor’s office of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia oblast said three people were killed and seven injured in a strike at a power plant. Ukrainian military commander Valery Zardini said Thursday’s salvo fired a total of 55 missiles, of which he said 47 were intercepted. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Southern Defense Force said it appeared to be an attempt by Russia to overwhelm or distract Ukrainian air defense systems.A civilian dragged a dog on a leash as air raid sirens blared across the country. People flooded subway stations, underground parking lots, and basements of shelters.
This has been a barrage of Russian firepower across the country since January 14th.
Russia launched a massive attack on Ukrainian power plants and other infrastructure from her early October. This is to stop Ukrainian forces before another attack in the spring, many experts predict, could hit the conscripts and leave civilians in the cold and darkness this winter. It’s part of our strategy.
The regional administration in the nearby Kherson region, where Ukrainian troops recaptured the regional capital in November, said Russian shelling had killed two people and wounded five over the past day.
The attacks came a day after Germany said it would supply 14 high-tech Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and authorize other European countries to send up to 88 more. The U.S. said it planned to ship 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukrainian forces.
Along with Germany and the U.S., Britain, Poland, the Netherlands and Sweden are among the nations that have sent or announced plans to supply hundreds of tanks and heavy armored vehicles to fortify Ukraine as it enters a new phase of the war and tries to break through entrenched Russian lines. After the conflict has been largely at a stalemate in recent months, Ukrainian forces confirmed Wednesday to withdraw from the salt-mining town of Soledar in the Donetsk region. Russian-backed separatists will conquer most of the larger Donbass region in 2014.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move to supply Ukraine with modern Western tanks reflected the growing Western involvement in the conflict.
