KIEV CELEBRATES 500 DAYS OF WAR WITH STRIKES ON RUSSIAN STRATEGIC REAR FACILITIES

In recent days, Ukrainian forces have intensified attempts to strike Russian strategic rear areas. While constant shelling of Russian border villages by Ukrainian artillery continues, Kiev has targeted strategic facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation, including the Crimean Bridge and the Desnogorsk nuclear power plant. On July 9, Ukraine attempted to hit targets in Crimea, Kaluga and Rostov regions with missiles for S-200 air defense systems which were repurposed for attacks on the ground targets. All their attempts failed, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. Two missiles were shot down by air defense forces, two more were intercepted by electronic warfare means. The head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, instructed to “plan a pre-emptive fire defeat” of the storage sites and launch positions” of such missiles and other strike means.” Local reports claimed that Kiev forces targeted the Desnogorsk nuclear power plant in the Smolensk region and the military airfield in Kaluga. Both missiles were shot down by Russian air defenses in the Bryansk region. The first one fell into a field, the second one into the territory of a sawmill. Another missile was shot down over the town of Donetsk, which is located in the Russian Rostov region. No one was injured in the attack, but the debris slightly damaged several buildings. The Crimean peninsula was also under attack. A Ukrainian missile was shot down by air defense forces near Kerch. Its target was the Crimean Bridge, but it fell into the waters of the Sea of Azov. There were no injuries or damage. At the same time, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar admitted that the attack on the Crimean Bridge in the fall of 2022 was carried out by the Ukrainian military. “273 days since the first blow was struck on the Crimean Bridge to disrupt logistics for the Russians,” she wrote in her post dedicated to 500 days after the beginning of Russian military operations in Ukraine. The Kiev regime previously denied its involvement in the terrorist attack, although Moscow initially pointed Ukraine’s guilt. Finally, Kiev proudly stated that the purpose of the attack was to disrupt supplies to the Russian military, but as a result, Kiev only killed three civilians and did not achieve any military goals. In response, Ukraine received massive attacks by Russian missiles and drones on military and energy facilities throughout the country. Last night was no exception. Russian forces launched missile strikes on Ukrainian military facilities in the Mykolaiv and Sumy regions, as well as in Kramatorsk and Konstantinovka controlled by the Ukrainian military. The day before, targets in the Kirovograd and Dnipropetrovsk regions were hit, including the location of the territorial defense units in Krivoy Rog.