Russia obliterates Ukrainian command center in Kharkov Region – MOD (VIDEO)
The Russian Air Force has successfully destroyed a concentration of Ukrainian troops in Kharkov Region, the Defense Ministry in Moscow claimed on Monday. A short video released by the ministry showed buildings it says were used by Kiev’s forces as cover being razed in a high-precision strike.
Russian forces identified the position taken up by a Ukrainian unit on the outskirts of a settlement in the northeastern Ukrainian region, the ministry added. The location was then struck with a FAB glide bomb, the statement added.
Munitions that initially were designed to be unguided, the FAB bombs come in various shapes and sizes and can carry between several hundreds and several thousand kilograms of explosives. Amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the bombs had been fitted with a modern Universal Correction and Guidance Module winged upgrade kit that turned them into precision munitions.
The defense ministry clip showed one such bomb striking a cluster of buildings located in a wooded area near the settlement. A powerful explosion can be seen rocking the area and sending thick plumes of grey smoke into the air. The buildings purportedly used by the Ukrainian military can then be seen leveled to the ground, with only some ruins remaining after the strike. Other buildings in the settlement appeared to be relatively unharmed.
According to the Russian ministry’s statement, Kiev lost “up to 80 soldiers and eight pieces of military equipment” in the strike.
Russian forces launched an offensive in bordering Kharkov Region back in May, capturing a dozen settlements in the area. President Vladimir Putin said the thrust was a response to routine shelling of Russian civilian infrastructure in the border regions, requiring the creation of a “sanitary zone.”
Last month, Kiev launched an incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, which, according to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, was supposedly aimed at preventing the Russian occupation of Kharkov, as well as Sumy, another major Ukrainian city. Russian officials have denied having any such plans.
Ukraine lost 11,400 soldiers as well as around 1,000 units of various military hardware in the month-long operation, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Monday. The advance was quickly halted by the Russian army, but fighting in the region continues.
