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| Russian Ministry of Defense Reveals Details of Latest Attack Against Ukraine |
Moscow - Moscow undermined Ukraine's ability to move weapons and soldiers to the front line by carrying out high-precision long-range strikes on Wednesday (23/11/2022) against command centers and energy infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry disclosed the details as fighting is still ongoing between Moscow and Kiev.
“The objective of the attack has been achieved. All the designated targets have been hit," Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov told reporters at his daily briefing. He added that the actions of his country's aircraft, warships and ground forces had "interfered with the deployment of Ukrainian reinforcements, foreign arms, military hardware and ammunition to the combat area by rail."
Konashenkov insisted Russian troops were not targeting Kiev. "All the destruction reported by the Kiev authorities was caused by the downing of a missile that was (fired) from a foreign-made and Ukrainian air defense system stationed in residential areas of the Ukrainian capital," he said.
The statement came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately killing civilians. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected this claim on Thursday (24/11/2022), stating Moscow only attacked military-related targets.
Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev's failure to implement the Minsk agreements, which were designed to give the Donetsk and Luhansk regions special status within Ukraine. The protocol, which was brokered by Germany and France, was first signed in 2014.
Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has since acknowledged Kiev's main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and to "create a strong armed force." In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the republic of Donbass, which had joined the Russian Federation, as an independent state.
Russia demands that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insisted the Russian attack was completely unprovoked.