Russia fired hundreds of missiles at Ukraine in just one night. Some landed near the border with Poland. Ukraine responded by attacking an electronics factory on Russian territory – and apparently also hitting fighter jets again.
According to the Air Force in Kyiv, Russia has launched the largest drone attack on Ukraine since the war began. Ukrainian territory was attacked with 479 drones and 20 cruise missiles, the Air Force announced on Monday morning. 460 drones and 19 cruise missiles were intercepted.
Attacks were also carried out on western Ukraine – near the border with Poland. Therefore, the air defenses of the country and its allies were activated."The measures taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the threatened areas," the Polish military wrote on X.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte therefore reiterated that the alliance must take a"quantum leap" in its defense against future threats. For credible deterrence and defense, the alliance, in particular, needs a 400 percent improvement in air and missile defense, Rutte was quoted as saying before a speech in London.
In Ukraine, he said, it's clear how Russia is spreading"terror from the air": "That's why we will strengthen the protective shield for our airspace." Furthermore, the armed forces need thousands of additional armored vehicles and tanks and millions more artillery shells. Even if the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine ends, the danger will not be over.
Russia has repeatedly subjected Ukraine to heavy air strikes since the war began over three years ago. Over the weekend, authorities reported that glide bombs were again dropped on the city center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. There were deaths and numerous injuries.
At the beginning of June, NATO approved the largest arms buildup since the Cold War."Wishful thinking will not protect us. We cannot simply dream the danger away," Rutte was quoted as saying."Hope is not a strategy." Therefore, NATO must become a stronger and more effective alliance.
Ukraine attacks targets on Russian territory
This is also why Ukraine is increasingly attacking military targets on Russian territory. Russia reported that Ukrainian drones had struck an electronics factory in the Chuvash Republic. The General Staff in Kyiv confirmed the attack on the factory. According to the statement, the company was targeted because it manufactured antennas for Russian weapons. Telegram channels also previously reported that the factory manufactured satellite receivers for the Russian army. The statements made by the warring parties cannot be independently verified.
The governor of the region, located about 650 kilometers from Moscow, Oleg Nikolayev, wrote on Telegram that two drones had crashed into the grounds of the VNIIR factory in the city of Cheboksary. Two more drones had crashed into fields. According to initial reports, there were no injuries.
Telegram channels published videos showing a drone, an explosion, fire, and smoke. The Defense Ministry in Moscow announced that it had intercepted 49 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight – two of them over the Chuvash region. According to the aviation authority Rosaviatsia, takeoffs and landings were prohibited at the airports in Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Tambov for security reasons. Restrictions at airports in Russia are regularly imposed in connection with Ukrainian drone attacks.
The General Staff in Kyiv also announced that a military airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region had been attacked. According to preliminary information, two combat aircraft were hit, the General Staff statement said.
AFP/dpa/kami
