Moscow, 05 July (H.S.):
Russia's Ministry of Defence has claimed that its air defence systems successfully repelled a large-scale overnight long-range drone and missile attack launched by Ukraine. According to the ministry, Russian anti-aircraft defence systems intercepted and destroyed more than 500 aerial targets during the operation.
According to Russia's state-funded international television network RT, the Defence Ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday that the intercepted targets primarily included long-range kamikaze drones. It also claimed that 10 FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles and at least nine projectiles launched from U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher systems were destroyed in mid-air.
Russia described the attack as a failed attempt by Ukraine to divert attention from Russia's large-scale strikes carried out earlier this week and reports claiming that Russian forces had taken control of the strategically important northwestern Donbas city of Konstantinovka.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces captured Konstantinovka on Friday after weeks of intense fighting. It described the city as a key strategic hub in the southern part of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk region and claimed it had been one of the Ukrainian military's principal defensive strongholds.
The ministry also stated that Russia's long-range strikes on Ukraine on Thursday night primarily targeted the capital, Kyiv. According to the statement, the attacks hit missile and drone production facilities, electronic warfare-related installations, factories manufacturing equipment for the defence industry, a major fuel storage depot, and gas infrastructure.
Russia further claimed that its air defence systems destroyed nearly 13,000 aerial targets approaching Russian territory during June. The ministry alleged that military specialists from the United Kingdom, several other European countries, and Ukraine's Western allies were involved in the production and operation of the weapons used in these attacks.
The Defence Ministry warned that any further attempts by Ukraine to target Russian civilians would be met with an appropriate and forceful response by Russia.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
