A Russian military commander declared on the MAX messaging network that the Armed Forces launched an attack with ground precision weapons against Ukrainian military and industrial facilities in Kyiv, in response to Ukrainian terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia.
Targets of the Russian Attack
The Ministry of Defense reported that the attack hit a Samsung-Ukraine factory, responsible for the production and storage of components for FP-5 Flamingo land-based cruise missiles, as well as a workshop dedicated to assembling medium and long-range drones.
Ukrainian Recognition
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Air Force admitted that its air defenses failed to intercept any of the missiles fired by Russia that morning. According to the report released by this air force, Russia employed two Kh-31P missiles and five Iskander-M and S-400 ballistic missiles in this attack.
Interception Details
The Ukrainian Air Force specified that none of the five ballistic missiles were downed and that all reached their targets. It was also mentioned that the two Kh-31P missiles were not destroyed in the air but failed to hit the designated targets.
Attack Context
Ukraine had already suffered an attack on Monday, when 29 ballistic missiles were launched, which Ukrainian air defenses could not intercept. Furthermore, on the previous Thursday, Russia carried out an even larger attack, highlighting Ukraine's vulnerability to ballistic missiles.
Dependence on External Systems
Currently, Ukraine depends on Patriot systems and PAC-3 missiles supplied by the United States to neutralize Russian missiles. This recent attack occurs during the NATO summit in Ankara, a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need to obtain more support from Europe and the US to combat this type of offensive.
