Ukraine on alert. kyiv warned early Thursday that a group of Russian bombers had taken off from a base in Russia, raising fears of the threat of more bombing.
The takeoff of several Tupolev Tu-95MS from the Olenya airfield located in the Murmansk region in northeastern Russia was recorded, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a message posted on the social network Telegram.
39 dead in strikes at the end of December
The Air Force had already reported, at the beginning of February and last month, the takeoff of these strategic bombers which date from the Soviet era.
At the end of December, Russia used these planes to carry out a wave of strikes on Ukrainian cities, including the capital kyiv, bombings which left 39 dead.
“Extremely complex” situation at the front
Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky on Wednesday deemed the situation on the battlefield “extremely complex”, admitting that Ukraine lacks men and weapons, while a new envelope of American aid is blocked in Congress.
kyiv can nevertheless boast of continuing to make the Russian fleet suffer in the Black Sea, claiming responsibility for the destruction of yet another ship there on Wednesday. NATO thus welcomed the “heavy losses” inflicted on Russia at sea, seeing it as “a great success” for the Ukrainian forces.
On the ground, however, the scale of the task to retake the nearly 20% of territory occupied by Moscow remains immense.