Russia strikes Ukraine’s military bases with cruise missiles as conflict enters day 3

The Russia-Ukraine crisis enters day three on Saturday with the Russuan troops steadily advancing into Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, with a series of explosion from cruise missiles hitting Ukrainian military bases.

With the Russian military hitting Ukraine from all fronts, President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a late night message on Friday, said the fate of the country would be decided shortly, adding that “kindergartens and civilian infrastructures” were being shelled by Russian forces.

Zelenskyy also appealed for a cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack.

“This night they will storm,” he said, amid reports of hundreds of casualties including shelling that sliced through a Kyiv apartment building and pummeled bridges and schools, with fears that Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government, which US officials have described as Putin’s ultimate objective.

:It would be his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence,” a US security expert said in an interview.

As the Russian strikes continued to pummel Ukraine’s military facilities, the Russian military affirmed that it has launched a barrage of cruise missiles aimed at weakening any resistance from its neighbours.

By Friday afternoon, Russian forces had established full control over the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in the south of the country, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

Read also: Nigeria urges Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine

“Units of the Russian Armed Forces have established full control over the city of Melitopol,” Konashenkov was quoted as saying.

In the early hours of Saturday, another report claimed that Russia had suspended space launches from South American Spaceport over worldwide sanctions placed on it by many countries around the world.

“In response to EU sanctions against our enterprises, Roskosmos is suspending cooperation with European partners over organising space launches from the Kourou cosmodrome and withdrawing its technical personnel… from French Guiana,” the chief of the Russian space agency said.

“Russia is also suspending space launches from French Guiana and withdrawing its technical personnel in response to EU sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine,” the space agency added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now