In a stark manifestation of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia has claimed to have intercepted six U.S.-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) over the past day. Russian defense ministry’s announcement on Telegram was met with skepticism as they did not provide evidence for the claim. The ATACMS missiles, recently and quietly supplied to Ukraine by the U.S., are capable of striking targets up to 300km (190 miles) away, significantly enhancing Ukraine’s retaliatory capabilities.
The Russian-installed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, posted on Telegram that ATACMS missiles were neutralized over the peninsula that Russia has occupied since 2014. According to Aksyonov, “after the ATACMS missiles were shot down, the undetonated submunitions scattered.”
Concurrently, Ukraine is reeling from the deadly ramifications of Russian missile strikes. The southern port city of Odesa mourns the loss of five and 32 others were injured after a Russian missile hit a popular seafront park. Regional governor Oleh Kiper stated on Telegram that the attack was executed with an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster munition, notoriously known for causing civilian casualties. “Such munitions are used to kill manpower and pose a threat primarily to people, not for machinery and buildings,,” Kiper expressed, underlining the indiscriminate nature of the weapon used.
Additionally, the northeastern city of Kharkiv also suffered under Russian bombardment, which resulted in two fatalities and six injuries, as reported by local officials. Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, indicated that “the occupiers hit the city of Kharkiv with two anti-aircraft guns anti-aircraft guided missiles, the hits to the ground were recorded in the Kyiv district. In one of the residential buildings, the facade and glazing of the windows of the building were damaged.”
The attacks on Odesa and Kharkiv underscore the continuous escalation of violence and the civilian toll of the conflict. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin emphasized that the Odesa attack is being investigated, saying, “the strike was carried out with an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster munition… the investigation has grounds to believe that Russian forces officers decided to use this particular weapon deliberately to kill as many Ukrainian civilians as possible.”
In the backdrop of these deadly strikes, Ukraine continues to endure the consequences of the war, with a 98-year-old Ukrainian woman’s arduous journey under shelling to escape the village of Ocheretyne in Donetsk being a stark testament to the harrowing civilian experiences.
Relevant articles:
– Ukraine war live updates: Russia says it shot down six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles; Odesa, Kharkiv hit with deadly strikes , CNBC, 04/30/2024
– Ukraine updates: Russia hits Kharkiv, Odesa in new strikes – DW – 04, DW (English), 04/30/2024
– Russia war live: Secret Atacms missiles shot down over Crimea, claims Russia, The Telegraph, 04/30/2024
– Ukraine-Russia war latest: Child seriously hurt as number of dead rises after airstrike in Odesa seaside park, Sky News, 04/28/2024
– Russia Ukraine war live: Five killed in Russian strike on ‘Harry Potter castle’ in Odesa, The Independent, 04/30/2024