A Russian missile strike targeted Ukraine early Saturday, hitting the buildings of the state-run aircraft manufacturer Motor Sich since 2022 to help in the war effort.
The Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky said, “A new Russian missile attack took place on our country… It hit Motor Sich and the Khmelnytskyi region”.
Zelensky explained that Moscow launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and Kalibr cruise missiles, adding that some of these missiles were shot down.
In 2021, the Ukrainian state nationalized the “Motor Sich” company, which manufactures engines for planes and helicopters.
Last November, it began to run it directly, along with other companies, based on its strategic importance.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense manages the assets of these companies with the aim of securing the urgent needs of the armed forces.
The company’s headquarters is located in Zaporizhia, which southern part of the region is under Russian control.
It hasn’t yet been possible to ascertain whether the Russian bombing hit the Motor Sich headquarters.
Zaporizhia governor, Yuri Malashko, had previously reported via Telegram that the Russian attack targeted an area on the outskirts of the city and caused a fire.
He explained that he didn’t have any information about possible casualties, adding that the extent of the destruction is still in the process of being assessed.
On the other hand, the Khmelnytskyi region is located in western Ukraine, hundreds of kilometers from the front, but Russian bombing regularly targets it.
It includes, in particular, an important Ukrainian military airport.
On Friday night, Ukrainian forces attacked an oil tanker in the Black Sea.
Several Ukrainian attacks by drones recently targeted Russian ships in the Black Sea, in addition to the city of Moscow and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
