Ukraine claims to have shot down three Russian cruise missiles

Ukraine announced the interception of three long-range missiles and 25 Russian suicide drones, but did not announce the total number of weapons deployed by Moscow.

"Russian forces attacked Ukraine from multiple directions in the early morning of May 14 using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Kalibr cruise missiles launched from warships in the Black Sea, and Kh-55/101/555 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers," the Ukrainian Air Force Command said in a statement.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 18 Geran aircraft, one Lancet suicide UAV, two Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAVs, four unmanned aerial vehicles of unknown type, and three Kh-55/101/555 missiles. However, the force did not disclose the total number of Russian missiles and UAVs used in the attack.

Ukrainian air defense intercepted a target in the sky over Kiev on May 9. Photo: Reuters — Ukrainian air defense intercepted a target in the sky over Kiev on May 9. Photo: *Reuters*

Oleg Sinegubov, head of the military department in the northeastern Kharkiv province, said transport infrastructure in the area had been damaged, while an official from the Ukrainian President's Office reported two injuries in the western province of Ternopil.

Images shared on social media showed columns of fire and raging fires in Ternopil and Kharkiv provinces, while Russian media said some transport infrastructure in Ukraine's central Dnipro province and southern Mykolaiv was also hit.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the information.

Ukraine claims to have shot down three Russian cruise missiles — A column of fire after an airstrike on the western Ukrainian province of Ternopil on May 14. Video : *Telegram/* *Intel Slava Z*

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military's Southern Operations Command, said last week that Russia was increasing the intensity of its air strikes to assess and locate air defense systems and try to erode enemy defenses.

The British military said late last month that Russia was trying to destroy reserve units and equipment recently sent to Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said the weapons deployed in recent attacks were smaller than those used in winter raids and were unlikely to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

A series of large explosions occurred on May 13 in the city of Khmelnitsky, western Ukraine, apparently caused by UAV attacks on ammunition depots and fuel collection points. The warehouse of the Pavlograd Chemical Plant, which produces many types of missiles for the Ukrainian army, was also attacked on the night of April 30, creating a violent explosion that lit up the night sky in the central province of Dnipro.

The situation of the war in Ukraine. Graphics: WP

The West and Ukraine have recently repeatedly mentioned a large-scale counterattack campaign with the hope of retaking many areas controlled by Russia. Some Ukrainian officials said they would launch a counterattack when conditions allowed, asserting that it would "cause panic in all of Russia". However, Mr. Zelensky said that a counterattack at this time is "inappropriate" because it would cause large casualties.

Western military experts assess that after Russian forces have consolidated a defense line of more than 1,000 km, the Ukrainian army with its current resources will find it difficult to advance far or repeat the feat of the September 2022 counterattack in Kharkov and Kherson.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters )

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