Day 352: Ukraine Says Russian Missiles Crossed into Romanian, Moldovan Airspace

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Facts

• Commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Friday that two Russian missiles launched from the Black Sea had crossed into Romanian and Moldovan airspace before landing in Ukraine. The claim could not be verified and Russia has so far failed to comment on the allegation.¹
• The Romanian Defense Ministry, however, contradicted the account, saying that 'an aerial target ... most likely a cruise missile' had flown through Ukrainian airspace, crossed into Molvoda, and then re-entered Ukrainian airspace without flying over Romania. In contrast, Moldova confirmed that its airspace had been violated, with the nation's foreign minister ordering 'the urgent summoning' of Russia's ambassador in Chisinau.²
• Meanwhile, in Kyiv, residents were forced to take shelter from a barrage of attacks on Friday. Ukraine's air force stated it had intercepted 61 of 71 missiles fired overnight, but added that Russian strikes had hit 'cities and critical infrastructure facilities.' Reportedly, 'up to 35 anti-aircraft guided missiles' also hit the regions of Kharkiv in the east and Zaporizhzhia in the south.³
• Acting mayor for Zaporizhzhia, Anatolii Kurtiev, stated via Telegram that at least 17 missiles had hit the area in a single hour on Friday morning, while Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Synehybov said that 'about 10 explosions' had occurred in the region as a result of Russian shelling and some areas were facing power cuts; no reports of casualties had been reported.⁴
• Elsewhere, reports emerged on Thursday that Russia is preparing for a 'huge invasion' in the Donbas region of Ukraine to coincide with the anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, nearly 2K tanks and 300K soldiers have been prepared for a renewed offensive aimed at seizing the eastern Ukrainian region. The Kremlin last month appointed General Valery Gerasimov as the commander of Moscow's forces — he is reportedly expected to focus on capturing the Donbas, along with Donetsk and Luhansk.⁵
• In Europe, amid ongoing pressure from Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy for EU leaders to intensify weapons packages for Kyiv, French Pres. Macron said he would not rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine. 'I have heard it from a number of European leaders,' Zelenskyy told reporters on Thursday, 'about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including the aircraft.'⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Washington Post, ³The moscow times, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵The telegraph and ⁶Guardian.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by PBS NewsHour. This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a 'coup'. This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Nsarchive. NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.

Predictions