Russian President Vladimir Putin said today, hours after the capital Kiev was hit for the first time in weeks, Moscow would hit new targets if Ukraine received long-range missiles from the West.
Without specifying what kind of targets he was referring to, Putin said that if Ukraine receives long-range missiles, “then we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our weapons to attack targets that we have not hit so far.” Excerpts from the interview that will air tonight on Rossiya-1 channel.
Putin also said that Western countries want to prolong the war. “All this clamor for more arms deliveries is usually made with the aim of prolonging the armed conflict for as long as possible.”
The United States announced last week that it would supply Ukraine with an advanced missile system. According to President Joe Biden, the weapon allows “to more accurately attack key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine.”
Ukraine has pledged to use the long-range missiles sent by the United States only for self-defense, not to attack targets on Russian soil.
Earlier on Sunday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the first bombing of the Ukrainian capital since April 28 was carried out in the early morning against two neighborhoods in the city.
Russia stated that with this attack, it destroyed armored vehicles delivered to Ukraine by Eastern European countries.
“High-precision, long-range missiles fired by Russian aviation forces over the Kyiv suburbs destroyed T-72 tanks delivered by Eastern European countries and other armored vehicles in hangars,” said Igor, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Severodonetsk “split”
In the center of Severodonetsk, a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, “street fighting” is taking place as Russian forces try to control Donbass.
According to the regional governor, the Russians lost land in this city. “The Russians controlled about 70% of the city, but they were repulsed in the last two days. The city is divided, they are afraid to move freely,” said Sergii Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region. Separatists since 2014 and the administrative capital of Ukraine is Severodonetsk.
According to Gaidai, Russian General Alexander Dvornikov has set a goal “to completely take Severodonetsk or control the Lyssytchansk-Bajmut route between now and June 10” and will pave the way to Kramatorsk, the capital of Donetsk, Ukraine’s other largest region. . Donbas.
“All (Russian) forces are focused on these two tasks,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Ukrainian military units had withdrawn from Severodonetsk “after inflicting critical losses (up to 90% in a few units) during the conflict” towards the large neighboring city of Lyssychansk.
But the mayor of Severodonetsk, Olexander Striuk, said on Saturday that street fighting continues and Ukrainian forces are trying to “re-establish full control” of the city.
And the war continues on other fronts. According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, “Russia continues to strive to occupy our entire state.”
Oleksi Reznikov said the Kremlin dreams of “gathering the lands” that it sees as “its own”, including “Poland, the Baltic states, Slovakia and others.”
Fearing a humanitarian crisis on the southern front, in the Kherson region, in the Russian-held areas, the Ukrainian presidency announced that Moscow “continues to bombard the occupied territories and the positions of the Ukrainian army.”
According to Kiev, the port of Mykolaiv was hit by a missile, as was an agricultural company in the large port of Odessa, where “warehouses were damaged” and two people were killed.
*With information from AFP and ANSA
source: Noticias
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