The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on foreign citizens to leave, announcing at the same time the beginning of a series of strikes against Ukrainian installations in its capital. According to Moscow, these operations are retaliation for a Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in Starobilsk.
According to the Kremlin, the strikes will target “decision-making centers”, command posts, as well as critical infrastructure of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. In a statement cited by the Russian news agency TASS, there is talk of “systematic attacks” on production and design facilities, including infrastructure related to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which – it says – are used by the Ukrainian armed forces “with the assistance of NATO specialists”.
Response to the strike in Starobilsk, Luhansk
“The attack on Starobilsk was the final straw,” the Russian side says characteristically, arguing that the operations in Kiev will be systematic in nature and will affect the entire relevant defense infrastructure.
It is recalled that last Friday Russian President Vladimir Putin had accused Ukraine of a “terrorist attack” in the Luhansk region, which is under Russian control, claiming that a student residence was hit during the night. He had hinted that this was a targeted action and had asked the Ministry of Defense to consider options for retaliation.
