Russian forces vow to use precise weaponry against military sites in Kyiv
The Russian Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will intensify its strikes on Kyiv, claiming to focus on military installations. Previously, the majority of Russian attacks have targeted civilian areas and residential buildings in Ukraine. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the illegitimate Russian president Vladimir Putin, admitted that Russian forces have been striking indiscriminately.
The ministry’s announcement is said to be a response to what it claims are Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian facilities. However, Ukraine has only launched retaliatory strikes against sites that support the Kremlin’s military activities. Other incidents have reportedly resulted from the operations of Russia’s air defense systems, as noted by various monitoring bodies including Exilenova+.
Furthermore, Russian officials accused Kyiv of attempting to disrupt the voting process for the State Duma elections, justifying the extensive attacks on September 19 and 20 using drones and cruise missiles known as “Flamingo”.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not provide details on damages caused by these attacks, instead praising its air defense systems for allegedly intercepting 1,951 attacking drones and eight long-range cruise missiles. According to their report, one cruise missile veered off course and landed in an uninhabited area.
In its statement, the ministry attempted to assert that all “Flamingo” missiles were destroyed before reaching “civilian targets in the Moscow region,” claiming that the attempt at a mass assault on Moscow had failed. However, footage from the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya, shared by Exilenova+, suggests otherwise. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine corroborated the attack on the “Gazpromneft-Moscow Oil Refinery.”
Context
- On September 20, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported the “most massive and unprecedented attack” on the Russian capital, claiming air defense forces intercepted over 1,600 drones, about 450 of which were on approach to Moscow.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attack on Moscow and announced “sanctions” against a company in Russia’s Voronezh region.
