Moscow [Russia], June 16: The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Friday that Russia launched several attacks on Ukraine using various missiles, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
The modern Kinzhal missiles are feared because they are difficult to intercept with current defence systems due to their high speed and explosive power.
The public broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing residents, that multiple explosions were heard early Friday in the western Ukrainian region of Khmelnytskyi.
The region houses a key Ukrainian airbase near the town of Starokostyantyniv, which is expected to host Western F-16 fighter jets supplied by Ukraine's allies.
Explosions were also reported near the capital, Kiev, attributed to air defence operations, as noted by Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram.
Earlier in the night, Russia launched a combined airstrike on Ukraine using cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones. The Ukrainian Air Force said that at least two Kinzhal missiles were used in the assault.
Near Kiev, firefighters continued efforts to extinguish a fire at an industrial plant that had been smouldering since Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Ukraine carried out a major attack consisting of more than 80 drones on Russian border regions in the early hours of Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported.
It said that 70 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were intercepted over the Rostov region alone.
The Belgorod, Volgograd, Voronezh and Kursk regions, as well as the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in violation of international law in 2014, were also affected.
The information could not be independently verified.
The governor of the Rostov region, Vasily Golubev, reported power outages in several villages.
According to initial findings, there were no deaths or injuries.
In the Voronezh region, falling debris caused minor damage to an oil depot, authorities said. However, no people were injured there either.
Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February 2022 and has been waging a large-scale war against the neighbouring country ever since.
Recent Russian airstrikes, occurring almost nightly, have primarily targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure in addition to military sites.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said nearly 700,000 soldiers are currently fighting in Ukraine.
"There are almost 700,000 of us in the zone of special military operations," he said on Friday as he met soldiers who are being trained for a leadership position.
This is significantly more than six months ago, when he referred to 617,000 soldiers, during a press conference in December 2023.
Russian troops would continue to advance in the eastern Kharkiv region, Putin said. "We are simply forced to move the front line further in the Kharkiv region in order to reduce the terrorist strikes against Belgorod and other localities."
Russia has been shelling Ukrainian cities since the start of the war, particularly Kharkiv, a major city near the border.
Source: Qatar Tribune