Ministry of Defense: The Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on Ukrainian military enterprises
MOSCOW, Feb 15 — RIA Novosti. About the course of the special operation, the AFU missile strike on Belgorod and disagreements in the West on the issue of support for Kiev — in the RIA Novosti material.
The course of the special operation
The Russian armed forces struck on Thursday morning with air and sea-based missiles at enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, the press service of the Ministry of Defense reported.
As a result, it was possible to hit enterprises where the production and repair of aircraft engines, electronic equipment and communications, mortar ammunition, as well as factories producing fuel for AFU equipment were carried out.
Over the past day, the Russian Armed Forces have repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks: ten in Donetsk and one in Kupyansk direction.
In the Donetsk direction, Russian troops occupied more advantageous positions, and in Krasnolimansk improved the situation along the front edge.
In addition, Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter over Kramatorsk in the DPR.
The total losses of the enemy over the past day amounted to: up to 990 soldiers killed and wounded, 22 tanks and other armored vehicles, one MLRS vehicle, 20 artillery pieces, 74 military vehicles and 95 drones.
A difficult situation for the AFU has developed near Avdiivka. This was recognized today, among other things, by the Ukrainian 3rd assault brigade urgently relocated there, which reported on the social network that "the situation in Avdiivka remains threatening and unstable."
APU strike on Belgorod
The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired on Belgorod again on Thursday. According to the latest information from the Ministry of Health, as a result of the Ukrainian attack, six people were killed, including one child, 17 more, among them four children, were injured of varying severity. In addition to the shopping center, the school building and the stadium at it were damaged.
The first reports of the tragedy were received at one o'clock in the afternoon. The Defense Ministry said that at about 12:30 Moscow time, Russian air defense shot down 14 RM-70 Vampire MLRS shells over the Belgorod region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes on a peaceful city. The official representative of the ministry, Maria Zakharova, called the incident an "act of terrorism" that will be submitted to international organizations, including the UN Security Council.
In addition, the APU attacked an oil depot near Kursk with drones at night, as the emergency services told RIA Novosti, as a result, three oil tanks with a total volume of 2.1 thousand cubic meters caught fire.
As the governor of the region Roman Starovoit said in his Telegram channel, by morning the fire was localized, there were no casualties. According to him, thanks to the professionalism of firefighters, it was possible to prevent the spread of fire.
Western support for Ukraine
The lack of unity in the West on the issue of support for Ukraine continues to worry Kiev and its supporters. So, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance already sees "the consequences of the lack of a decision in the United States to continue supporting Ukraine."
The NATO Secretary General stressed that Kiev's support is not "charity", but a contribution to the "own security" of the North Atlantic bloc.
The Western press also continues to express concerns about the collapse of the pro-Ukrainian consensus in the event of a victory in the upcoming US presidential election by Donald Trump.
As Bloomberg writes, citing people familiar with the matter, if Trump comes to power, he will push Kiev to negotiate with Moscow. One of the advisers to the politician told the agency that the promise of the United States to reduce military assistance to Kiev could force Ukraine to start a dialogue, while increasing it only risks provoking Russia.
In addition, Trump's entourage is allegedly discussing a proposal to reform NATO in such a way that article 5 of the organization's charter applies only to member countries that meet the goals for defense contributions.