Russia retaliates the Ukrainian attack on Moscow by bombing Kiev and warnings against the use of cluster bombs
Russia forces launched a night attack with drones on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, according to Ukrainian local authorities on Tuesday, adding that all the drones were shot down and initial information indicated that there were no damages or casualties.
This attack comes a day after Russia warned of harsh retaliatory measures in the wake of the drone attack targeting Moscow, 500 km from the border with Ukraine.
The head of the military administration for the city of Kiev, Serhiy Popko, said on Telegram that Russia “attacked Kiev with offensive drones,” without specifying the number of them or where they were launched from.
He added, “The alert lasted for three hours… All air targets were detected and destroyed as they approached Kiev”.
“According to the information at this moment, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital,” he added.
Earlier, the regional military administration in Kiev issued an alert of a drone attack and warned residents to stay in shelters.
The Ukrainian Air Force also warned of similar attacks on the southern regions of Odessa and Mykolayev, which overlook the Black Sea and include many ports that have become targets for Russia since its withdrawal from the grain export pact.
In addition, the Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of using cluster bombs in the city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine asked the United States to provide it with these munitions in order to achieve more success in its counterattack to liberate its territories occupied by Russia.
The United States, Ukraine and Russia haven’t joined the treaty banning cluster munitions.
For his part, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov acknowledged on Tuesday, that the counterattack planned by Kiev “didn’t achieve its goals on time”.
In an interview with CNN, Reznikov attributed the reasons for the slow pace of the “counter-attack” to a lack of ammunition and air defense systems.
Reznikov considered that the idea that any counter-attack must be swift is a false idea, explaining that fighting isn’t a computer game.
Earlier, Ukrainian soldiers admitted to the “Kiev Post” that they had suffered heavy losses, and that their morale was declining due to the failed counter-attack attempts.
Earlier, a Ukrainian official in the Ministry of Defense confirmed, on Monday, that his country had indeed targeted the Russian capital, Moscow, in a “special operation”.
The Ukrainian official, who declined to be identified, said that the attack by two drones on Moscow was a special operation carried out by the Military Intelligence Service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
Earlier Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Ukraine had attempted to carry out an “international terrorist act” by launching drone attacks on targets in Moscow.
According to the Russian authorities, two drones targeted two non-residential buildings, without causing serious damage.
In the context, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed, in a statement, that Moscow “reserves the right to take harsh response measures” to the Ukrainian attacks.
