Kiev demands more air defense systems from West

Russia responded to a recent Ukrainian missile attack by targeting the country’s energy infrastructure overnight

Kiev is in urgent need of 20 new Western air defense systems to protect the country from Russia’s long-range missile and drone attacks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga said on Friday.

Sibiga took to X, formerly Twitter, in the aftermath of the latest massive strike launched by Moscow in retaliation for Ukraine’s cross-border attacks on Russia using Western-supplied missiles. Explosions were reported all across Ukraine last night, with electricity supplies disrupted across several regions.

“Massive Russian missile attack on Ukraine this morning, primarily targeting the energy system. Russia aims to deprive us of energy. Instead, we must deprive it of the means of terror. I reiterate my call for the urgent delivery of 20 NASAMS, HAWK, or IRIS-T air defense systems,” the minister wrote.

All the systems listed by Sibiga fire short- to medium-range anti-aircraft missiles. Such weaponry has been supplied to Kiev by its Western backers and has been seen in active use during the conflict.

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Russia’s MOD explains reason for latest retaliatory strikes on Ukraine

Russia launched a major long-range attack on Ukraine overnight, primarily targeting the country’s critical infrastructure. According to the Russian military, the strike reached its goals, as all of the designated targets were successfully hit.

“In response to the use of American long-range weapons, Russia’s Armed Forces launched a massive strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons and UAVs at critical fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine that support the operation of the military industrial complex,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The latest attack on internationally recognized Russian territory with Western-supplied weaponry took place on Wednesday, when Kiev targeted a military airfield located near the city of Taganrog in Rostov Region.

According to the Russian military, six US-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles were used in the attack. Two were shot down and the rest were disrupted using electronic warfare measures. The strike inflicted minor damage on the airfield’s administrative buildings, as well as damaged multiple civilian cars at an adjacent parking lot, the military said.