Russia justifies its attack
The Russian army said on Friday that it had attacked kyiv “in response” to a Ukrainian strike carried out on Wednesday against a Russian factory with Western missiles, a red line for Moscow.
“In response (…), a group strike was carried out this morning with long-range precision weapons against the control center (of the Ukrainian special services) SBU, the Luch design bureau, based in kyiv, which designs and manufactures Neptune missile systems,” the Russian army said in a statement, assuring that “all targets were hit.”
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Ukrainian authorities also reported missile attacks in the southern city of Kherson, where one person was killed and six injured, as well as several other towns and villages.
Russian forces are advancing in the Kharkiv region, bordering Russia, with the aim of reconquering the city of Kupiansk, occupied during the first year of the war.
The city was occupied by the Russian army at the start of its invasion in February 2022, then liberated by Ukrainian forces during a dazzling counter-offensive in September of the same year.
Koupiansk, an important railway junction in this sector, is crossed by the Oskil River, which has become the de facto front line between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
The Russian army, which has been advancing more rapidly in recent months in eastern Ukraine, has increased its attacks in this area, which it has been trying to recapture for months, in particular trying to cross the river again.
