Ukraine suffered overnight from Thursday to Friday Russian missile attacks on Kiev and several other cities, which killed at least two people and hit a residential building, and which also targeted Kiev. While Russia regularly bombed Ukrainian cities and infrastructure last winter, massive strikes had become rarer in recent months. This is the first massive missile attack on the Ukrainian capital since early March.
Ukraine’s air defense system has been bolstered in recent months by the delivery of Western equipment, crucial to the country’s war effort. In particular, kyiv received the sophisticated American Patriot systems in April. The Ukrainian capital was the target last week of an attack by 12 Iranian-made drones, eight of which were shot down, without causing any casualties.
Ukraine announces that it shot down 21 Russian missiles and two drones overnight
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that it shot down 21 cruise missiles and two drones in a new deadly Russian attack in kyiv and other cities in the country overnight from Thursday to Friday.
“The Defense Forces destroyed 21 X-101/X-555 type cruise missiles out of a total of 23 as well as two drones,” the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram.
Putin orders the creation of museums dedicated to the offensive in Ukraine
As a sign of the penetration of propaganda into Russian society, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to set about creating museums dedicated to Moscow’s year-long offensive in Ukraine, according to instructions published on the Kremlin website. The government will also have to “examine the question of organizing a study of the history of the special military operation” within the framework of the education system.
Since the beginning of its offensive in Ukraine, Russia has adopted a series of repressive laws intended to muzzle any criticism, in particular a text punishing the “discreditation” of the army. Several people, opponents or simply anonymous, received heavy prison sentences. In Putin’s eyes, Russia is waging no war in Ukraine, but a mere “special operation” aimed at denazifying Ukraine.
France must “modernize its nuclear forces”, according to the Defense Commission
A report from the Defense Committee of the National Assembly submitted to parliamentarians on April 24 believes that France must “modernize its nuclear forces”. “The rogue instrumentalization of nuclear rhetoric by certain Russian officials demonstrates the vertiginous impasses of the treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons”, considers its rapporteur, Thomas Gassilloud, elected by the majority, following the hearing of a series of experts, including former NATO leaders, army executives, and independent specialists.
Ukraine has received enough weapons to regain ground, says NATO
Since the beginning of the Russian offensive, NATO allies and their partners have provided Ukraine with 230 combat tanks and 1,550 armored vehicles, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Thursday. “All in all, the Ukrainians therefore have the capabilities they need to take back more territory,” said the head of the Atlantic Alliance.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022, NATO members have also provided Soviet-made air defense systems, artillery and MIG-29 fighter jets held by Poland and the Czech Republic. . They have also trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on the weapons used by NATO armies.
The United States will only deliver Abrams tanks by the fall, the Pentagon said in March. Which should happen in principle only after the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive. Several Western analysts point out that much of the equipment delivered only replaced old ones that had been destroyed in combat since the start of the war.