Moscow: In one of its biggest attacks in weeks, Russia launched nearly 400 long-range drones on civilian areas across Ukraine on the night of March 23, killing four people and injuring 35 others, the AP news agency reported.
Russia also launched 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles at Ukraine during the night, hitting at least 10 locations across the country, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The latest strikes came after Ukraine hit Russia’s Baltic port, Primorsk, in a pinpoint attack a day earlier, leaving the key export hub in flames, East2West reported.
With the world's attention diverted towards Iran, Ukraine feels that the shift of Washington’s focus from Eastern Europe to West Asia has strengthened Russia’s position, particularly due to stalled EU sanctions, a blocked €90 billion aid package, and eased US restrictions on Russian oil.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has a “very bad feeling" about the consequences of the West Asia conflict for his country.
“You see that our diplomatic meetings, trilateral meetings, are constantly postponed. There is one reason: war in Iran," he told the BBC in an interview. “(Vladimir) Putin will want a long war. For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus."
According to the Ukrainian military and analysts, Russian forces have started an offensive in eastern Ukraine by using dozens of tanks and armored vehicles.
