Russia conducts ‘massive strikes’ in Ukraine
Russian forces have unleashed a heavy barrage on the Ukrainian army on all fronts, with Kiev’s casualties amounting to more than 800 in one day, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.
“The Russian Air Force, missile troops and artillery are conducting massive strikes on units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces across all operational areas,” the ministry said.
Russian high-precision attacks have targeted the deployment areas of units of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade near the towns of Slavyansk and Konstantinovka in eastern Ukraine, the statement read. The ministry went on to say that its forces had also bombarded the 115th Mechanized Brigade near Artemovsk, and the 53rd Mechanized Brigade near Kurdyumovka, both in Donetsk Region.
According to the Defense Ministry, it also conducted strikes on several Ukrainian units both in the south of the country and in the north, closer to Kharkov.
“As a result of the strikes, the losses among Ukrainian service members and foreign fighters exceeded 800 people killed and wounded,” the ministry stated.
The attacks come after Ukrainian troops apparently advanced in Kharkov Region, with Russian and allied forces withdrawing from some areas to “regroup.” On Monday, commenting on the recent development in Ukraine, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov insisted that Russia will continue with its military operation “until the goals that were set in the beginning are achieved.”
Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.
