Russian kamikaze drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities continued Thursday night in response to a bombing allegedly organized by Ukrainian military intelligence on a strategically important bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
At least 26 people were reportedly killed in the latest strikes, an uptick in the number reported earlier in the week by The Dallas Express.
Heavy artillery damaged more than 30 houses, a hospital, a kindergarten, and other buildings in Nikopol, across the river from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), the AP reported.
In the southern city of Mykolaiv, an apartment building was destroyed. It is the same location where a civilian was allegedly killed by Russian fire in July, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Russia launched the attack in retaliation for what it described as a terrorist attack orchestrated by Ukrainian special services on the critical Kerch Bridge that connects Crimea to Russia, according to The Dallas Express.
The bridge was destroyed on October 7, President Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday. Two days later, Putin called the event a “terrorist attack” that would not be left unanswered.
Ukraine denied responsibility for the bridge, just as it has done for other attacks. On Friday, the Ukrainian government agreed the latest strikes were Russian revenge, but not for what Putin claims.
“Russian strikes are not a ‘revenge for the Crimea bridge,'” wrote the Ukraine government on Twitter. “They are a revenge for the fact that Ukraine still exists. They are part of Russia’s genocidal war on Ukraine, its continued murder and terror against civilians. The only way to put an end to it is to #ArmUkraineNow.”
The #ArmUkraineNow tweet follows months of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy continuing to ask the U.S. and its NATO allies for more money, weaponry, and missile defense, according to the AP. The U.S., having already provided 20 advanced High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), has promised another 18.
Since the invasion began on February 24, the U.S. has sent Ukraine $16.8 billion in weapons and other aid. Hundreds of armored vehicles, 142 155mm Howitzers, 880,000 rounds of ammunition, thousands of Stinger anti-aircraft weapons, and 60 million rounds of bullets have been provided by the American taxpayers, reported the AP.
Furthermore, the Pentagon has stated that the first two advanced NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks, providing the country with a weapon it has sought since earlier this year. The systems will defend against medium- to long-range missile attacks.
Late Friday, Putin stated there was no need for additional massive strikes on Ukraine, just days after the country was subjected to the heaviest bombardment since the war began, BBC reported.
Speaking to reporters after a summit with regional leaders in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Putin explained that the majority of the designated targets — 22 of 29 — had been hit and that it was not his intention to destroy Ukraine. Instead, the current situation, he has explained, is a response to hostile actions taken by Kiev.
With the goal of mobilizing 300,000 men near being reached, the president said, “There’s no need for massive strikes.” Instead, “We now have other tasks.”
