MOSCOW (Agencies): The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that it has launched an attack on the Ukrainian command center overseeing forces in the southern front. The attack, which took place on Wednesday, involved a combination of air, missile, and artillery strikes targeting the military base, Ukrainian soldiers, and equipment.
Earlier in the day, reports from RIA Novosti, citing local resistance sources, indicated that the Russian military had targeted a Ukrainian command center in the heart of the port city of Odessa. The report detailed three explosions in the vicinity, with one particularly powerful blast near the facility itself. Following the attack, numerous ambulances were seen rushing to the command center, and the area was subsequently sealed off by Ukrainian authorities.
Oleg Kiper, the head of the Odessa regional administration, confirmed the strike in the city, stating that it involved ballistic missiles and resulted in at least three fatalities. However, he asserted that only civilian infrastructure had been damaged.
Russia has consistently maintained that its attacks are solely aimed at military installations and facilities that support defense operations, vehemently denying any targeting of civilian infrastructure.
Additional reports from RIA Novosti, citing resistance fighters, revealed that Russia had also bombed a Ukrainian troop deployment area on the outskirts of Kharkov, a city located on the Russian border. Another attack reportedly destroyed a warehouse storing military hardware in the southern Nikolaev Region.
Numerous reports suggest that a pro-Russian resistance movement is active in several Ukrainian regions, collecting data and conducting sabotage operations against Kiev’s military.
This latest wave of attacks follows a pledge made last month by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to ramp up attacks on logistics hubs and warehouses storing Western-supplied military equipment1.
Accoring to media report Russia also launched a “massive” missile strike at Ukraine overnight, damaging four power plants.
Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.
There are also reports of increased Russian losses in the second half of April amid a push in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.