Ukraine claims strikes on Russian ships after another night of bombing

Ukraine claimedé Sunday having hité two Russian ships in annexed Crimea, a claim that comes after a third night of massive bombing of the country by Russia which aims to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure.

Moscow claims to respond with these serial strikes to Ukrainian bombings of border regions, which are themselves responses to the daily attacks that Russia has inflicted on Ukrainians since the start of its invasion on February 24, 2022.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 18 of 29 missiles and 25 of 28 explosive drones launched overnight. Damage was noted to urban, energy and port infrastructure in kyiv, as well as in the regions of Lviv (west), Kryvyi Rig (center) and the Danube area (southwest).

The damage appears much less severe than that of Friday, when Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, in the northeast, on the border with Russia, s was found deprived of electricity, water and heating.

– The Russian fleet still hit –

For its part, Ukraine launched strikes on Sevastopol, in Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014, and seat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The latter was considerably weakened by multiple missile and drone attacks.

Residents near the site where a Russian bombing occurred in a park, March 24, 2024 in kyiv © AFP – Anatolii STEPANOV

kyiv claimed on Sunday to have again hit two ships, having sunk many others since the start of the war, a humiliation for Russia which had to abandon the blockade of the coasts still under Ukrainian control.

“Ukrainian armed forces managed to hit amphibious ships Yamal and Azov, as well as a communications center and other infrastructure of the Russian Sea Fleet Black”, announced in a press release the communications center of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Russia claimed on Saturday evening to have repelled a “massive” Ukrainian missile attack targeting Sevastopol . “According to initial information, more than ten missiles were shot down,” Governor Mikhail Razvojaev said on Telegram.

He then specified that the debris of a downed missile had killed a 65-year-old civilian. Four people were injured, including a teenager.

A photo released by Ukrainian authorities shows the site of a missile attack in Zaporizhia, March 22, 2024 © Telegram/@ivan_fedorov_zp – Handout

Finally, a Russian cruise missile launched against towns located in western Ukraine violated Polish airspace during the night for around forty seconds, the Polish army said on Sunday.

“The object flew into Polish space near the village of Oserdow”, located about a hundred kilometers from Lviv, said the operational command of the armed forces.

Poland, Ukraine's ally, will demand explanations from Russia for this “new violation of airspace”, indicated its diplomacy. A similar incident took place in December.

Ukraine, faced with the Russian invasion and daily bombings of its cities for more than two years, has promised to respond by bringing the fighting to Russian soil, while the Kremlin has long presented its war as not affecting the population nor Russian soil.

Kiev also wants to regain control of its airspace in 2024 so that Russia will no longer be able to bomb it like this. But for this, Ukraine has a crucial need for anti-aircraft defense means.

– Aid blocked, Russian advance –

< p>However, American aid has been blocked for months by the rivalry between the Democratic camp of President Joe Biden, in favor of increased support, and the Republicans of Donald Trump. European assistance has fallen behind schedule.

Ukraine also needs artillery and missile ammunition on the front where it has been struggling since The failure of his major counter-offensive in the summer of 2023 to contain the better-equipped Russian army, Vladimir Putin having turned his budget and the country's industry towards the war effort.

In recent days, the Russian army has claimed advances in the east in the sectors of Tchassiv Iar, an important locality neighboring Bakhmut, and to the west of Avdiïvka, a town destroyed and conquered by the Russians in February.< /p>

Kharkiv National University plunged into darkness after Russian attacks on Ukrainian electricity infrastructure, March 22, 2024 © AFP – Genya SAVILOV

Finally, Ukraine fears an escalation on the part of Moscow, the Russian authorities invoking a Ukrainian lead in the investigation into the attack against a concert hall which left at least 133 dead. The Russian president and his special services did not make the slightest mention of the claim of the Islamic State jihadists,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thus accused ” Putin and the other bastards” to seek to place the blame on Ukraine which, from the first hours of the attack, had denied any involvement.

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