Military expert says why Russia may have attacked Ukrainian cities far from front line
The entrance of a high-rise building destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Uman, April 28, 2023 (Photo:REUTERS/Yan Dobronosov)
Vladyslav Seleznyov, a military expert and former spokesperson for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces spoke of the objectives behind Russia’s recent assaults on cities located far from the front line in an interview with Radio NV on April 29.
Seleznyov said that during the recent attack on Mykolaiv, the invaders may have targeted a Ukrainian Marine Corps barracks. However, the Russians’ intelligence was out of date: no marines were present, and the building now has no connection to the Defense Forces.
Similarly, the high-rise building in Uman that was severely damaged by a Russian missile strike on April 28 has no connection to the Ukrainian military.
Seleznyov said the Ukrainian army is now faced with a choice of where to position its modern air defense systems: at the front, to cover the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which are expected to launch a counter-offensive soon, or to protect the rear, where civilians – including women, children, and soldiers’ parents – are located.
The military expert also pointed out that Ukraine’s war aims include ensuring the safety and peace of residents in the regions of Ukraine behind the front lines.
Regarding claims that Russia is attacking civilians to influence the military’s actions, Seleznyov said this assumption was a valid point.
On the night of April 27, the Russian army attacked Mykolaiv with four missiles, which the Ukrainian military said were guided along a complex trajectory to make it difficult for them to be intercepted. One person was killed, and 23 were injured in that attack. According to the Air Force, the attack was carried out using Iskander-K ballistic missiles.
Early on April 28, Russia launched a massive missile strike against Ukraine, but air defense forces managed to destroy 21 out of 23 of the Russian cruise missiles, including 11 near Kyiv. Two drones were also shot down near the Ukrainian capital.
However, one of the missiles destroyed an entire section of a nine-story residential building in the city of Uman, in Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine, resulting in 23 reported deaths as of 7.30 p.m. on April 28.
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