RTSat, 16 Apr 2022 14:10 UTC
© TelegramFILE PHOTO: Russian airstrike damage
Russia used high-precision strikes to destroy an armored-vehicle manufacturing plant in Kiev and a military repair depot in the city of Nikolaev in southern Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.
He added that 16 targets were hit overnight,
including Ukrainian military units, weapons and ammunition depots, and radar facilities.
Moscow warned that it would step up strikes on Kiev after accusing Ukraine of shelling Russian territory on Thursday. Kiev has denied launching attacks on Russian soil.
Russia confirmed on Thursday that the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the country's Black Sea Fleet sank after a fire and detonation of ammunition onboard. Ukraine, however, claimed that it hit the Russian vessel with anti-ship missiles.Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
Comment: New York Post reports that Moscow declared it will be stepping up airstrikes on Kiev following the helicopter attacks on Russia border towns and the missile strike that took out its Moskva vessel:
"The number and scale of missile strikes against targets in Kyiv will increase in response to the Kiev nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or sabotage on Russian territory," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told state-run news agency TASS.
© Russian Defence Ministry/AFP viaRussian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov says the airstrikes would be in retaliation for Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.
Konashenkov said the aggression was in retaliation for alleged cross-border strikes by Ukrainian helicopters and artillery, one of which Russia says hit civilians in the village of Klimovo.
The announcement was made as Russia reels from the loss of its Black Sea flagship, the Moskva, a guided-missile cruiser that sank Thursday after suffering a massive explosion.
© Associated PressUkraine has taken credit for sinking the Russian Black Sea flagship the Moskva, but Russia denies this.
Ukrainian forces claimed the kill, saying they struck the warship with an anti-ship missile. The Russian ministry of defense has denied the claim, saying the damage was caused by a fire onboard the vessel
Moscow's threat of further bombardment comes as Kyiv displays new signs of life after seven weeks of fighting.
Since the retreat last month of Russian forces that nearly encircled the capital, the city has played host to a bevy of Western leaders showcasing their support for the embattled nation.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv last weekend, touring the streets alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Four more NATO nations followed suit days later, with the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia traveling to Kyiv by train.
France announced plans Thursday to move its embassy back to the Ukrainian capital, the same day the White House said it was considering sending an emissary to the war-torn city.
It is unlikely those would continue amid renewed Russian shelling.
"Of course, Russia still has the capability to strike Kyiv," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. "The Russians still have long-range airstrike capabilities available to them, whether it's from ballistic missiles or from air-launched cruise missiles."
"We never, for a moment, even as the Russians began to reposition, felt that Kyiv wasn't potentially still under threat," he added.
As the Kremlin continues its air assaults on Kyiv in central Ukraine, Russian ground forces continue to group for an expected offensive in the Donbas region to the east.
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Comment: New York Post reports that Moscow declared it will be stepping up airstrikes on Kiev following the helicopter attacks on Russia border towns and the missile strike that took out its Moskva vessel: Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Kramatorsk False-Flag - Ukraine EU Delusion - Khan Ousted in Pakistan