Russian Ministry of Defense: Airstrikes carried out targeting Ukrainian energy facilities and military industries

Moscow -- The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it carried out nighttime military strikes targeting energy infrastructure facilities and sites it said were “linked to Ukrainian military industries,” including a plant for the assembly and storage of long-range drones, several power stations, and a cargo ship loaded with weapons and military equipment in the Black Sea southwest of the Ukrainian city of Odesa. In a statement, the ministry said that the Russian Armed Forces continued to carry out drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure facilities that contribute to the operation of institutions within the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and facilities belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as sites for the production and storage of attack drones and ships used to transport military equipment and dual-use items. It added that the strikes targeted the Hlobyne plant in the Poltava region, which is used for the assembly and storage of long-range drones, as well as substations near the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, near the cities of Cherkasy and Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and another station in the Vinnytsia region. The ministry noted that a cargo ship in the waters of the Black Sea southwest of Odesa, carrying weapons and military equipment intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was also targeted. In a related development, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 430 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory during the night hours. The ministry said its armed forces continued to carry out daily strikes in response to what it described as “Ukrainian attacks on civilians and Russian civilian infrastructure facilities,” clarifying that the targets included military-industrial facilities involved in the production and storage of long- and medium-range drones, decision-making centers, ports, and Ukrainian infrastructure that Moscow said was “used for military purposes.” The ministry stated that the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, aims to protect the population of the Donbas region. (End) Dan / M.A.K.