Several bases were struck while Kiev boasted of using F-16s in an air-defense role
Russia has carried out precision strikes against air bases in four regions of Ukraine, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Tuesday. Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were among the weapons used, Moscow confirmed.
Air raid alerts sounded across Ukraine overnight Monday into Tuesday, and the media in Kiev reported explosions in Khmelnytsky, Sumy, Krivoy Rog, and Rovno Regions.
The attack targeted “critical airfield infrastructure facilities in Ukraine,” using “long-range air-launched precision weapons, including Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, and attack UAVs,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“All designated targets were hit,” the military added, without elaborating.
Tuesday’s strike followed the “massive high-precision attack” on Ukrainian infrastructure supporting Kiev’s military industry, carried out overnight Sunday into Monday. Attack drones, ballistic and cruise missiles shut off electricity to much of Ukraine and targeted air bases in Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk Regions that were storing Western-supplied weapons and aircraft, Moscow said.
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According to Ukrainian media, the strike was the biggest since the conflict began, involving over 230 missiles and drones hitting targets in 15 regions.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky claimed on Tuesday that Kiev’s armed forces had used F-16 fighter jets to shoot down incoming missiles during the large infrastructure strike overnight on Sunday.
“As part of this huge attack, we shot down some missiles and drones with the help of F-16s,” Zelensky told reporters, describing this as “a very good result.”
While thanking the US and its allies for sending Kiev the jets, Zelensky noted that “this is not enough, we don’t have many of them, and we still need to train pilots.”
Several NATO countries have promised up to 80 of the US-made fighters, but only about ten have been delivered so far, according to Ukrainian media. A handful of airfields in Ukraine can accommodate F-16s and Russia has been striking them repeatedly over the past month.
The Kremlin has said that the jets won’t make a difference on the battlefield and will be destroyed just like the other Western hardware provided to Ukraine since the start of the conflict.