The Ukrainian military announced on the 6th that it had shot down Russia’s latest weapon, the hypersonic missile “Kinjal”, which flew over the capital city of Kyiv on the 4th. Ukraine’s “shooting down” is the first since the Russian invasion in February last year. On the other hand, both sides are fighting bloody battles, with the Russian army being suspected of using deadly white phosphorus, a type of incendiary bomb, in Bahmut, Ukraine. When the white phosphorus is dropped, the sky is colored with small bomb lights, reminiscent of ‘the flames of hell’.
According to the Associated Press, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on the 6th that it “downed the ‘Kinjal’ on the 4th with a Patriot missile.” At the end of last month, the Ukrainian military received Patriot missiles from the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands, and was equipped with a hypersonic missile interception system. Kinzal, a modified version of Russia’s short-range ballistic missile ‘Iskander’, has a flight speed of 10 times the speed of sound (Mach 10). This missile disrupts the air defense radar and is difficult to intercept, but this time it was successfully shot down.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed on the 6th that Russian forces used white phosphorus in Bahmut to turn the tide of the battle. White phosphorus is a chemical weapon that scatters highly flammable ‘white phosphorus’ fragments widely around the impact point. When the fragments come into contact with the human body, they do not go out even when water is poured on them, and cause severe burns. Although incendiary bombs are strictly prohibited against civilians, Ukraine has argued that white phosphorus is often used by Russian forces as there is no clear ban.
Firefighters extinguish an apartment fire after a Russian attack. newsisIn the midst of this, infighting in the Russian army is growing. According to BBC, the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozin, criticized Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the 5th, claiming that Wagner mercenaries were dying in Bahmut because they were not properly supplied with ammunition. At the same time, he claimed, “If this situation continues, we will withdraw our mercenaries after the 10th,” and “the decision to withdraw is entirely due to the Russian Ministry of Defense.”
Russia decided to hold a Victory Day event commemorating its victory in World War II on the 9th in four regions of southeastern Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia, which Russia forcibly annexed last October. In particular, in Donetsk, where Bahmut is located, they made it clear that they had no will to end the war by promoting the ‘Immortal Regiment’ march.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.