The main event of the past weekend was Russia’s massive strike on Kyiv and its surrounding regions. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the strike was carried out in retaliation for terrorist attacks on civilian facilities in Russia. In particular, the Ukrainian army’s strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk in the Luhansk People’s Republic. As a result of that strike, 21 teenagers were killed, most of whom were young girls.
On the night of May 24, Russian forces launched a significant missile attack on Ukrainian military targets in Kyiv and the surrounding areas. More than 100 missiles and 700 strike drones were launched in total. Almost all types of ballistic and cruise missiles were used in the attack, including Iskander, Kinzhal, Zircon, Kalibr, and others.
Explosions were reported in five districts of the Ukrainian capital. The headquarters of the Ukrainian Army’s Ground Forces Command was hit. Facilities on the grounds of the Separate Presidential Regiment Named After Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky were destroyed. Military factories within the city were also targeted. Hits were reported at the Artem and Analitpribor enterprises, as well as at the automated systems factory. A 10,000-square-meter shopping center was completely burned down; it is believed to have housed a Ukrainian army weapons depot. Additionally, strikes were carried out against several logistics hubs handling military cargo transit.
The Russian “Oreshnik” missile system was used against targets in Bila Tserkva, a city in the Kyiv region. This hypersonic missile is one of the most advanced and highly classified weapons in the Russian army’s arsenal. According to video footage recorded by eyewitnesses, the Oreshnik warhead consists of 36 submunitions. The missile struck the support infrastructure of a military airfield. It is believed that long-range drones assembled at this facility were used deep within Russian territory.
Other regions of Ukraine were also targeted, though not to the same extent. Russian cruise missiles hit the Starokostiantyniv airfield, home to F-16 fighter jets provided to Kyiv by Western allies. In Poltava and Kremenchuk, fuel and energy infrastructure facilities were targeted. Fires were reported at petroleum product storage facilities.
The Ukrainian government used the strike to draw international attention. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, as well as a joint meeting of OSCE bodies. Kyiv may be using this attack as a pretext to secure additional Western military aid, particularly air defense missiles.
Overall, the Ukrainian strike on the student dormitory and Russia’s subsequent retaliation are more indicative of further escalation than of the parties’ desire to make peace. The conflict could evolve entirely into a mutual destruction of rear infrastructure, given the current trend toward a slowdown in the pace on the front lines.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK:
MONERO (XMR): 86yfEHs6pkoDEKCxc6MAnQX8cVHmzhYxMVrNuwKgNmqpWK8dDxjgGnK8PtUNJMACbn6xEGxmRauNTHJhUJpg9Mwz8htBBND
BITCOIN (BTC): bc1qgu58lfszcpqu6fd8l98m378wgzugyg9y93lcym
BITCOIN CASH (BCH): qr28d80s5juzv2793k5jrq59xrl5fxd8qg9h3zlkk2
PAYPAL, WESTERN UNION etc: write to info@southfront.press , southfront@list.ru
If you face any problems sending funds to the addresses given above, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru. Also be aware that many email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo etc. may block correspondence from info@southfront.press and some others put it in spam.
If you want to support SouthFront but have no opportunity to do it via cryptocurrency, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru.
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
