Russia launches large-scale attack, sirens sound across Ukraine

(Dan Tri) - Russia is said to have begun a large-scale attack in retaliation for Ukraine's use of Western long-range missiles to attack Russian territory.

Russian Tu-95 bombers (Illustration: Pravda).

The Ukrainian Air Force said that in the early hours of November 28, Russia carried out a large-scale airstrike on energy infrastructure across Ukraine. Large explosions were recorded in many places, including the cities of Kiev, Kharkov, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Lutsk and Rivne.

Attacks also targeted the Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Volyn provinces.

Russia has dealt a major blow to its national power grid, with attacks on energy infrastructure occurring across the country, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.

Ukrainian power utility Ukrenergo has cut off power in several regions in an effort to protect the energy system from a Russian attack.

At dawn on November 28, sirens sounded across Ukraine when the country detected the sorties of a series of Russian fighter jets.

According to data on the fighter jets' activity tracking site, about 20 Russian Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers took off from several air bases in northern and central Russia early this morning.

The exact scale is unknown, but Avia Pro quoted military sources as saying that this was a mixed attack involving both missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

According to initial information, at least 45 Russian cruise missiles, including Kalibr and Kh-101, were detected flying into Ukrainian airspace, targeting important infrastructure including energy facilities and military logistics facilities.

Experts say Russia has begun retaliating for Ukraine's recent use of Western long-range missiles to attack Russian territory.

Russian authorities have announced a temporary closure of airspace over the Kapustin Yar launch site in the Astrakhan region until November 30, Avia Pro reported on November 26. The area is often used for testing and launching ballistic missiles. The airspace restriction could be a sign that Russia is about to conduct a test launch or missile strike in response to Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on November 26 that it was monitoring the situation and was ready to respond to recent Ukrainian ATACMS missile attacks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also warned yesterday that those behind attacks on Russian citizens and infrastructure would face "deserved punishment."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow regularly sends the US "warning signals" regarding the possibility of expanding the geographical range of attacks from Ukraine with ATACMS missiles.

Those signals include a message about Russia's military capabilities through the recent test launch of the new generation Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile against Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin also previously warned that the West allowing Ukraine to attack deep into Russia would change the nature of the conflict and force Russia to respond harshly.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-tan-cong-quy-mo-lon-coi-bao-dong-vang-khap-ukraine-20241128142240154.htm