In yet another massive air attack with missiles and drones, Russia proceeded to target critical infrastructure of the Ukrainian defense industry in Kyiv and Odesa.
Russia speaks of successful strikes on the center of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle production of Ukraine.
Images showing thick smoke covering parts of the two cities are circulating on the internet, while Moscow claims that the targets were defense industry factories, port facilities, and vessels which, according to its claims, were transporting military equipment.
However, the Ukrainians claim that their air defense intercepted most of the missiles and drones launched during the latest Russian attack.
Kyiv and Odesa targeted
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it carried out attacks during the night against targets in Kyiv and Odesa, claiming that defense industry facilities of Ukraine and port infrastructure used for military purposes were hit.
According to Moscow, the attacks were carried out with long range high precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV.
Fierce raid
The raids in Kyiv were particularly fierce, where, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, defense industries involved in the production of drones and various types of missiles were hit.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, had reported during the attack that ballistic missiles were heading towards the Ukrainian capital, calling on residents to remain in shelters.
As he stated, in the Holosiivskyi region, strikes occurred in storage areas, resulting in fires, while in the Darnytskyi region, missile fragments fell on an open area, causing fires in vehicles.
Where the Russians struck
However, according to the claims of the Russian side, the damage was not limited to warehouses.
Moscow claims that the Radioizmeritel electronic systems enterprise was also hit, which manufactures microwave components for aviation, as well as components for the FP-7, Neptun-MD, and Hrim-2 missiles.
At the same time, Russia claims that the Kyiv-79 (UKR ARMO TECH) facility was also hit, which, according to Russian claims, constitutes one of the main assembly units for warheads for unmanned aerial vehicles, while also manufacturing missile components and managing explosives.
Odesa in flames
Attacks also occurred in the region of Odesa, specifically near the port of Yuzhny, where, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, infrastructure used for unloading and storing fuel for the Ukrainian armed forces was hit.
The regional governor of Odesa reported on his part that eleven trucks at the facilities of an enterprise suffered damage from the attacks of Russian drones.
Russia, however, claims that the target was not only the port infrastructure, but also a tanker as well as a cargo ship which, according to Moscow, was carrying military equipment.
According to the Russian claim, the strike occurred at the moment when the cargo was beginning to be unloaded.
Videos released on social media show thick smoke both in Kyiv and in the region of Odesa.
Kolesnik, Russian MP: We must capture Odesa, to deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea
Russia should deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea, by capturing Odesa, as long as Kyiv continues to reject peace initiatives and the West continues to support it with weapons and financial aid, said the member of the Defense Committee of the Russian Duma, Andrey Kolesnik.
"We had agreed in the past on much milder terms, but Ukraine did not accept them and is now suffering the consequences.
If this is the case, since Ukraine does not agree to any of the proposals favorable to it and the West does not allow it to end the war, then Russia will have to deprive it of access to the sea," said Andrey Kolesnik.
The Russian MP also claimed that, as long as the Ukrainian armed forces maintain their presence in Odesa and the wider region, the regions of Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Crimea will remain under constant threat.
"From there they launch unmanned surface vessels, USV, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV.
The drones are launched even from vessels located at sea," said the Russian MP.
What the Ministry of Defense of Russia claimed
In its announcement, the Ministry of Defense of Russia spoke of a massive missile attack on facilities of the Ukrainian defense industry where, according to Moscow, missiles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), as well as assembly units for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), were manufactured.
"During the night that passed, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out group strikes with long range high precision land based weapons, against enterprises of the Ukrainian defense industry in the city of Kyiv, which were involved in the production of cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles," the announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense states.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense also refers to strikes in the port of Yuzhny, in the region of Odesa.
As stated, "port infrastructure facilities in the port of Yuzhny of the Odesa region, which were used for unloading and storing fuel and lubricants for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," were hit.
Large shipment from Germany
Indeed, Sergey Lebedev, coordinator of the pro-Russian resistance network in the region of Mykolaiv, claims that last week a transport aircraft took off from an air base in western Ukraine with destination an air base in Germany and returned on Sunday, estimating that it was possibly carrying a new supply of missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.
According to him, the recent Russian attacks aim not only to destroy targets within the Ukrainian capital, but also to test the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense, Western military support, the supply chain of NATO, and the rate of replenishment of missile stockpiles.
Ukraine: We shot down 5 out of 8 ballistic missiles
At the same time, the Ukrainian Air Forces announced that during the night they shot down five out of the eight ballistic missiles that were launched.
The Air Forces of Ukraine announced that during the night they shot down 5 out of the 8 ballistic missiles that were launched, as well as the two guided aerial missiles.
At the same time, according to the same announcement, 108 out of 135 unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, launched by Russia were intercepted.
"Strikes were recorded from one ballistic missile and 25 attack UAV in 17 different locations, while falling debris occurred in another 10 points. The information regarding two ballistic missiles is still being investigated," the announcement states.
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