UKRaine air defense successfully fights off ‘exceptional’ RUssian missile attack on Kyiv; UKR reports gains around Bakhmut; UKR’s military regains 20 square kilometers near Bakhmut; Most brutal fights near Bakhmut and Marinka; three RU electronic warfare stations and two munitions warehouses destroyed, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

By admin On May 19, 2023

Ukraine air defense successfully fights off ‘exceptional’ Russian missile attack on Kyiv:

Ukraine forces shot down 18 Russian missiles, including six of its highly-touted “hypersonic” Kinzahl missiles, as they successfully fought off a rocket barrage launched at Kyiv early Tuesday morning, according to Ukrainian military officials.

The six Kinzhals were among 27 missiles Russia fired at Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s military General Staff said in its evening update on Tuesday.

Air sirens blared throughout Kyiv for more than three hours during the 3:30 a.m. attack, sending residents fleeing for cover as the sky over the city lit up with flashes and debris rained down.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said it fended off 18 missiles launched at the Ukrainian capital from the land, air and sea from the north, east and south.

“Six Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles were fired from six MiG-31K aircraft, nine Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, and three land-based missiles (S-400, Iskander-M),” Zaluzhnyi tweeted. He said Russia additionally launched attack drones, which were all shot down.

Three people were injured by falling debris, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Debris also set one building on fire — which was extinguished — and fell on the grounds of a zoo, but no losses were reported, the mayor said.

“It was exceptional in its density — the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said on Telegram.

All was reportedly “under complete control” in the besieged capital later Tuesday.

“The enemy’s mission is to sow panic and create chaos. However, in the northern operationalzone (including Kyiv), everything is under complete control,” Gen. Serhiy Naev, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces, said. —>READ MORE HERE

Ukraine reports gains around Bakhmut, battles continue:

KYIV, May 16 (Reuters) – Ukrainian troops have made gains around Bakhmut in recent days but Russian forces have advanced slightly in the eastern city itself, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Tuesday.

She said the Ukrainian military had reclaimed about 20 square kilometers (7.5 square miles) or territory from the Russian forces in the past few days around Bakhmut, a small city where fighting has been fierce for months.

Maliar, who has indicated previously that the Ukrainian advances around Bakhmut are not part of a broader counteroffensive planned by Kyiv, said developments there “should not be taken out of context”.

“For example, within a few days, our troops liberated about 20 square kilometers from the enemy in the north and south of the suburbs of Bakhmut,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “At the same time, the enemy is advancing somewhat in Bakhmut itself, completely destroying the city with artillery.”