The military aggressions between Russia and Ukraine have taken place during the night of Saturday and the early hours of this Sunday. On the one hand, Ukraine denounces the punishment received last night by the city of Kharkiv which, according to President Volodimir Zelensky, affected a blood transfusion center. Kyiv also reports the Russian missile attack on the Starokostiantyniv airbase. On the other side, the Russian authorities claim that the Ukrainian military has attacked the University of Donetsk and the Bryansk region.
Russia has attacked Ukraine this past morning using 70 air assault weapons, including cruise and hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones, according to the Kyiv Air Force.
The explosions have taken place near the Starokostiantyniv Air Force Base in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine as a result of attacks by 3M54-1 "Kalibr" cruise missiles launched by Russian Navy ships in the Black Sea. The airfield is the base for the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade which operates Su-24M tactical bombers.
The Ukrainian Air Force has explained on Telegram that its defenses have destroyed 30 of the 40 cruise missiles and 27 Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight.
“In total, in several waves of attacks, from the afternoon of August 5 to the morning of August 6, 2023, the enemy used 70 air assault weapons,” the Air Force said.
It also notes that Russia launched three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, but did not disclose any further information about them.
Reuters has not been able to independently verify this data. At the moment, Russia has not commented on it.
The Ukrainian air force report did not specify whether there was any damage from the overnight attack or what happened to the 10 cruise missiles that were not shot down.
Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat, speaking to a Ukrainian national broadcaster, said that one of the key targets of Russia's night strike last night was the Khmelnytskiy region.
"Now, it is the Starokostiantyniv airfield that the enemy is after," Ihnat said.
Russia had earlier targeted the Starokostiantyniv military airfield in the Khmelnytskiy region in late July.
The Ukrainian authorities also denounced this Sunday new bombardments on the city of Kharkov, which follow the attacks registered last night that, according to President Volodimir Zelensky, affected a blood transfusion center.
"Kharkov is under enemy fire. We ask citizens to exercise extreme caution," warned the mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhovv, through his Telegram account.
Zelenski reported on Saturday night three new attacks on that region, one of which hit a blood transfusion center, where apparently there were fatalities and injuries, although without specifying.
According to Zelenski, the firefighting services managed to put out the flames, while the anti-aircraft defenses shot down several missiles.
The attacks occurred late on Saturday, according to the Ukrainian portal Ukrinform.
"The first building of the University of Economics and Trade is on fire as a result of the latest attack on Donetsk," the Russian-controlled city in eastern Ukraine.
There were no people inside the building during the bombardment, in which a hundred firefighters are working, equipped with 12 water tanks and three ladders.
Ukrainian forces used cluster munitions in the shelling that caused the fire, said Alexei Kostrubitsky, the Russian-installed emergencies minister for the region Moscow calls the Donetsk People's Republic.
Ukraine, which received supplies of US cluster munitions last month, has vowed to use them only to clear concentrations of enemy soldiers.
Cluster munitions have been used by both sides in the course of the war in Ukraine, which has lasted 17 months.
For its part, Russia launched a multi-wave strike overnight against Ukraine, using 70 air assault weapons, including three cruise and hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones, the Kiev Air Force said Sunday.
It was not immediately clear if any damage was done in the overnight attack or what happened to the 10 cruise missiles that were not shot down and were targeting the Khmelnytskiy region and its Starokostiantyniv military airfield.
During the intense dawn of this Sunday, in addition, the Russian forces claimed to have destroyed two drones over the Briansk region, bordering Ukraine and Belarus, which has been the scene of multiple attacks by Ukrainian forces and pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.
"There was no damage or casualties," Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian region that borders Ukraine, declared on the Telegram channel this Sunday.
It was not clear who launched the drones and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine. kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.
Russian authorities say the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, has suffered multiple attacks by Ukrainian forces and pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups in the 17 months since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
