Kyiv [Ukraine], August 28: Yesterday, August 27, the Ukrainian military announced that air defense systems had intercepted five missiles and 60 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Russia during the night.
AFP quoted the Ukrainian Air Force as saying that Russia had launched a total of 10 missiles and 81 UAVs. Sirens sounded across Ukraine at dawn after the air force confirmed that it had detected several bombers taking off from an air base in western Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that four people were killed and 16 others were injured in the latest attack, according to The Kyiv Independent .
A day earlier, Russia launched its largest airstrikes since the start of the war, launching more than 200 missiles and drones into Ukraine, killing seven people and damaging much of the country's energy infrastructure. The Polish Air Force said it had scrambled fighter jets for two consecutive nights during the attacks and said a Russian drone may have violated Polish airspace on August 26. Russia has not commented on the information.
The US and its Western partners have condemned Russia's attack. In particular, Vice President of the European Commission - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called for lifting the restriction to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons provided by the West to attack Russian military targets. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW, USA), there are at least 250 military and paramilitary targets in Russia within the range of ATACMS missiles. The US has provided these missiles to Ukraine but has not allowed Kyiv to use them to attack Russian territory.
The air strikes came as Ukraine continued its operation in Kursk and there were reports that it was trying to infiltrate the neighboring province of Belgorod. Reuters reported on Thursday that about 500 Ukrainian soldiers had attacked two border checkpoints in Belgorod, citing information from Russia's Telegram channel Mash. In a statement on Telegram, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the reports but said the situation was under control, although difficult.
In another development, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi yesterday inspected the Kursk nuclear power plant amid the risk of being unsafe due to the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently accused Ukraine of trying to attack the plant, but Kyiv has not commented.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
