Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday it had launched overnight cruise missile strikes against targets in Ukraine.
However, the Russian government claimed that it aimed exclusively at military infrastructure.
Videos emerged late into the night showing a residential building near Kiev that had been hit by an attack.
The exterior walls of several apartments look totally destroyed. Smoke still hangs in the air. The cause is unclear.
“During the night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a long-range precision weapons attack using air and sea-launched cruise missiles against Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities,” Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Wednesday. video.
“I emphasize once again that the attack is aimed only at the objects of the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, excluding damage to residential and social infrastructure,” he argued.
Battle intensifies
The battle for control of Kiev, capital of Ukraine, intensifies throughout this Saturday (26). Fighting spreads through the streets, and explosions and gunfire were heard throughout the night as Russian troops advanced on the city.
According to the mayor of the capital Kiev, Vitaliy Klitschko, a residential building of more than 20 floors was hit by a missile. Emergency teams rushed to the scene. There is no casualty information.
teams of CNN Americans in the Ukrainian capital report strong explosions west and south of Kiev on Saturday morning. The sky, still dark, lit up with a series of flashes on the horizon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the capital Kiev was under Ukrainian control. “We have resisted and are successfully repelling enemy attacks. The fight continues,” he said in a message on social media.
According to the Ukrainian government, a tank and aircraft of the Russian army were destroyed in this morning’s combat. The General Staff of the Armed Forces reported that there were also attacks in other cities.
understand the conflict
After months of military escalation and intemperance on the Ukrainian border, Russia attacked the Eastern European country. At dawn this Thursday (24), Russian forces began to bomb several regions of the country – follow the repercussion live on CNN.
Hours earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a “special military operation” in the Donbas region (eastern Ukraine, where the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk are located, which he recognized as independent).
What was seen in the following hours, however, was an attack on almost the entire Ukrainian territory, with explosions in several cities, including the capital Kiev.
According to Ukrainian officials, dozens of deaths have been confirmed in the armies of both countries.
In his speech before the attack, Putin justified the action by saying that Russia could not “tolerate threats from Ukraine”. Putin urged Ukrainian soldiers to “put down your weapons and go home”. The Russian leader further stated that he will not accept any kind of foreign interference.
This attack on the former Soviet neighbor threatens to destabilize Europe and involve the United States.
Russia has been tightening its military grip around Ukraine for the past year, amassing tens of thousands of troops, equipment and artillery at the country’s gates.
In recent weeks, diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions have been unsuccessful.
The escalation in the years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine has set off the continent’s biggest security crisis since the Cold War, raising the specter of a dangerous confrontation between Western powers and Moscow.
*With information from Sarah Marsh and Madeline Chambers of Reuters and Eliza Mackintosh of CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
