Russian airstrikes hit kyiv and other Ukrainian cities far from the front lines

KYIV, June 20 (Reuters) – Russia on Tuesday attacked military and infrastructure targets in the Ukrainian capital kyiv and in other parts of the country, including western areas far from the front lines, Ukrainian officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said for its part that Russian forces attacked and destroyed eight ammunition depots in Ukraine in the past 24 hours and repelled Ukrainian attacks from three different directions.

Also on Tuesday, Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region with drones, injuring three civilians, the TASS news agency reported, citing Russian-designated local authorities.

The Russian strikes came as attention turned to Ukraine’s actions against Russia’s defensive positions in the south and east, the initial stages of a counter-offensive aimed at pushing back President Vladimir Putin’s troops from territory occupied since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

kyiv says it has already recaptured 113 square kilometers (44 square miles) of land from Russian forces. But the latest attacks showed that Russia was quite capable of waging a war beyond the southern and eastern front lines.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said the drones struck the Kyiv region in several waves, with an air alert lasting for more than four hours.

Several commercial and administrative buildings and some private houses were damaged, it said. No casualties were mentioned in the overnight airstrikes.

Ukraine said it had shot down 32 of the 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones fired from Russia’s Bryansk region and the Azov Sea.

But a “critically important facility” was hit in Lviv, far from the front lines and some 70 km (43 miles) from the Polish border, regional governor Maksym Kozytskiy said. He did not give other details.

The air force said Ukrainian air defenses it had been in action in most regions.

“However, the main attack direction of the Iranian drones was the kyiv region. More than two dozen Shaheds were destroyed here, ”he said on Telegram.

The energy ministry said falling drone debris damaged power lines in the kyiv region and also in the southern Mykolaiv region, cutting off power to hundreds of residents.

The air force said Russia had also attacked the southeastern industrial city of Zaporizhzhia with Iskander and S-300 missiles.

Yuriy Malashko, head of the Zaporizhzhia region’s military administration, said Russia had attacked telecommunication infrastructure and agricultural and livestock properties.

Ukraine’s military said Russia had fired seven missiles at Zaporizhzhia.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

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The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had attempted attacks on the eastern and southern city of Donetsk, as well as the southern Zaporizhzhia region, but had been repelled.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow had information Ukraine planned to attack Russian-controlled Crimea with long-range US and British missiles and warned Russia would retaliate if that happened.

Russia annexed Ukraine’s Black Sea Crimean Peninsula in 2014, but considers it out of reach for what it calls its “special military operation” focused on eastern and southern Ukraine.

“The use of these missiles outside the zone of our special military operation would mean that the United States and Great Britain would be totally drawn into the conflict and would lead to immediate attacks on the decision-making centers in Ukraine,” Shoigu told a meeting of officials. military. .

Shoigu also said that the Ukrainian armed forces had carried out 263 strikes against positions of Russian forces since June 4, referring to what Moscow considers the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

“Thanks to the clever and selfless actions of our units, all of them have been repelled, the enemy has not achieved its objectives,” Shoigu said.

Ukraine says it has recaptured eight villages in the early stages of its counteroffensive.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said it saw little prospect of peace talks with Ukraine because of Kiev’s stance, which demands the full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine before any peace talks, despite the efforts of a mission. mediator for African leaders.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation” to eradicate security threats posed by kyiv’s pursuit of integration with the West. kyiv and Western supporters say that Russia is waging an unprovoked war of conquest.

Putin had held “very productive” talks with African leaders on Saturday and remained open to dialogue and contacts on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

But Peskov told reporters that what he called the history of the kyiv position meant that “one can hardly speak of stable foundations” for peace negotiations.

Reporting by Olena Harmash in Kyiv and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; edited by Timothy Heritage, Angus MacSwan and Mark Heinrich

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