A Russian missile strike killed 11 people, including five children, in Donetsk Oblast while Republicans in the US Congress blocked military aid to Ukraine
Russians, in their missile strike, killed 11 people, including five children, in Donetsk Oblast on January 6, 2024.
According to Vadym Filashkin, the Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, S-300 missiles hit the town of Pokrovsk in Ukrainian-held territory in Donetsk region.
“The enemy is cynically hitting civilians, trying to bring as much misery as possible,” Filashkin posted on Telegram.
In his evening video address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had targeted residential areas. Russia should always feel consequences for such attacks, Zelensky added.
Russia is yet to comment.
Before the war, Pokrovsk had a population of about 60,000 people. Some residents have been returning despite official warnings about the dangers.
In August 2023, Russian Forces killed at least nine people and injured dozens more in a missile attack on the town.
Moreover, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported Russians bombarded the community of Tiahynka in Kherson Oblast on the morning of 6 January, causing significant damage to the area.
The Russian attack destroyed the village council building, modular houses where internally displaced people were living, a warehouse containing humanitarian aid, and private cars.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian forces launched more than 70 drones across the border into Russia after Moscow launched its biggest aerial bombardment. Fifty-eight Ukrainians were killed and more than 120 people were injured in the large-scale bombardment of Russians on the morning of December 29. On January 2, Russians killed at least five civilians and injured 129 throughout Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has expressed his gratitude to Western partners for providing the air defence systems that have shot down a record number of Russian Kinzhal “hypersonic” missiles.
In his statement on X on January 2, he stressed that Ukraine needs more anti-ballistic weapons, as there is no reason to assume that Russia will stop.
According to him, today, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down 10 out of 10 Kinzhal missiles with the help of the Patriot air defence system.
“This is a record. If the missiles hit their targets, the consequences would be catastrophic,” Zaluzhnyi said.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov has also reacted by calling on the world to provide Kyiv with more weapons to stop Russian aggression.
After the second massive Russian attack in the last four days, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba listed five urgent steps he is expecting from allies:
- Expedite the delivery of additional air defence systems and ammunition to Ukraine;
- Provide Ukraine with combat drones of all types;
- Provide Ukraine with long-range missiles of 300 kilometer+ range;
- Approve the use of frozen Russian assets for assisting Ukraine;
- Isolate Russian diplomats in relevant capitals and international organizations.
In a phone conversation on January 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that Russia has launched at least 500 missiles and drones at Ukraine over the past five days. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the UK’s “substantial and comprehensive” efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.
2022 American ABS News had an opportunity to look into the letter from the Ukrainian government’s spokesman to the U.S. Congress, where the official had asked to support the further provision of Centurion C-RAM air defense systems to Ukraine.
The Centurion C-RAM is a “land-based” version of the Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS naval anti-aircraft artillery systems, which were designed to destroy anti-ship missiles. Unlike its “sea” predecessor, C-RAM can destroy not only cruise missiles, but also enemy’s drones and even unguided rockets.
The human rights community in Ukraine believes that the de-occupation of Crimea is necessary to stop the systematic and gross violations of human rights committed by the Russian Federation on the peninsula. They are urging other countries to support Ukraine with timely and sufficient supplies of weapons and military equipment.
Earlier at the international conference Global Crimea, Anton Korynevych, the ambassador-at-large of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on countries from all continents to join the coalition in order to create a special tribunal for Russia.
Photos: Vadym Filashkin
