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Ukraine’s defence forces claim to have launched a “preemptive” strike as Russia was preparing for a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukrainian cities.
The General Staff reported that Ukraine hit a Russian airfield and military facilities on the eve of Moscow’s massive attack overnight on Friday.
Kyiv says on the night of 6 June it hit Engels airfield in Russia’s Saratov region, a place of concentration of Russian aircraft left over from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) operation.
Also in the Saratov region, numerous hits were confirmed on at least three fuel reservoirs on the eve of a Russian attack, followed by a large-scale fire at the facility, Kyiv reported.
Apart from that the airfield of Dyagilevo in Russia’s Ryazan region was it. Kyiv says this is where air refuelling and escort fighters are based and used to support missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine also hit a Russian missile base in the Bryansk region, damaging Iskander missile launchers, the Ukrainian military said.
The targeted unit near the city of Klintsy had attempted to fire on Ukrainian territory — likely aiming at Kyiv — before it was hit, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The Iskander is a short-range ballistic missile system used by Moscow for precision strikes against military and infrastructure targets. Overnight on Friday Russia launched six Iskander ballistic missiles at Ukraine — and Kyiv managed to intercept four of them.
Russia’s Bryansk region borders Ukraine’s Sumy region, which has become a major target of Moscow’s assault operations.
Moscow’s ‘retaliation’ for Operation ‘Spiderweb’
Three days after Ukraine’s daring Operation “Spiderweb” against Russian military airfields and heavy bombers, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to “retaliate” against Ukraine, which he invaded over three years ago, with Moscow launching daily missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities and civilian targets since then.
US President Donald Trump said Putin told him about it during the phone call on Wednesday.
The Russian president did not make any public comments about Kyiv’s operation since Sunday, when Ukraine hit over 40 Russian bombers at four airfields with the FPV drones launched from Russian territory near the airfields.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would not have launched its drone strike on Russian strategic bombers if Moscow had accepted Ukraine’s calls for a ceasefire.
Ukraine has repeatedly urged Russia to accept the US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Kyiv says could be the first step to putting an end to Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine.
Commenting on Russia’s “retaliatory” attack on Friday, Ukraine’s president said that “Russia’s doesn’t change its stripes – another massive strike on cities and ordinary life,” pointing to Moscow’s regular attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
“Russia must be held accountable for this. Since the first minute of this war, they have been striking cities and villages to destroy life,” Zelenskyy added, calling for more pressure to be put on Moscow by Ukraine’s western partners, specifically the US.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if he does not see progress in peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, but hasn’t done it.
When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday as to whether a deadline exists for the implementation of sanctions, Trump replied: “Yes, it’s in my brain the deadline,” without specifying a date.
“We’ve done a lot together with the world to enable Ukraine to defend itself. But now is exactly the moment when America, Europe, and everyone around the world can stop this war together by pressuring Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
“If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively.”