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Russia fired a barrage of missiles, 16 of which were downed by Ukraine. Photos/Illustrations
KIEV – Russia hit again Ukraine with a barrage of cruise missiles and others on Thursday (16/2/2023), hitting targets from east to west of the country. Ukrainian authorities say one of those attacks killed a 79-year-old woman and injured at least seven others.
“Russian troops used various types of missiles, firing 36 missiles in a two-hour burst last night,” Ukrainian military chief Valery Zaluzhnyy was quoted as saying by AP.
He said Ukrainian air defense batteries shot down 16 of them – a lower success rate than some of the previous Russian waves.
Read: US Military Commander: Russia has lost the war in Ukraine
Ukrainian authorities said targets in the north, west, south, east and center of the country were hit.
The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said Russian troops changed their tactics for the attack, deploying what he called active reconnaissance and false targets.
He gave no details. But Russian forces may be looking for ways to bypass Ukraine’s air defenses which have been amplified by Western-supplied weapons systems and had high success rates against Russia’s previous barrage of missiles and killer drones.
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One of the attacks overnight caused casualties and destroyed homes in the eastern city of Pavlohrad, the regional governor said. Governor Serhiy Lysak said a 79-year-old woman was killed and at least seven other people were injured, including two who were later hospitalized.
“The attack destroyed seven houses, damaged 30 others and started a blaze at an industrial plant which was put out by emergency services within hours,” the governor added.
A regional governor in western Ukraine, Maksym Kozitskyi, said the fire occurred at a “critical” infrastructure facility in Lviv province. He did not immediately provide details.
Read: Ukrainian War: Russia Estimated to Lose Nearly Half of its Battle Tanks
(ian)
