Russia Launches Further Drone and Missile Attacks Into Ukraine

Facts

  • In the early hours of Friday, in the thirteenth such attack on Ukraine since the beginning of May, Russia launched another volley of drone and missile assaults into the country.1
  • Ukrainian air force officials said Russia launched 17 missiles and 31 kamikaze drones across the country — adding that it destroyed 10 and 23 respectively. The air force also said two reconnaissance drones were destroyed.2
  • Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the military administration in Kyiv Oblast, said all missiles targeting the region were shot down. He added, however, that seven homes were damaged by falling missile debris. There were no reports of injuries.1
  • In the central city of Dnipro, in the Dnipropetrovsk region neighboring Zaporizhzhia, at least two civilians were killed and 23 more were injured after a veterinary clinic was reportedly struck.3
  • Meanwhile, extensive rocket and artillery shelling was reported in the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia over the past day. There were no reports of civilian casualties.4
  • In Ukrainian attacks, Russian positions in the Donetsk region were struck with rockets, while two civilians were reported injured in Russia's Belgorod region after reports of extensive artillery shelling. Two drones also struck Russia's southern Krasnodar region on Friday.5

Sources: 1Ukrainska Pravda (a), 2Ukrainska Pravda (b), 3Ukrainska Pravda (c), 4UKRINFORM, and 5TASS.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment 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.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by National Security Archive. 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