Russia striking in retaliation of Moskva warship sinking, claims Ukraine Armed Forces: Report

According to a representative for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in southern Ukraine, Russian missile attacks in the south have been ongoing since Thursday night in retaliation for the loss of the Russian warship Moskva, reported CNN.

The strike, according to Natalia Humeniuk, “affected not only [Russia’s] ships, but also the enemy’s imperial ambitions.”

She told a press conference on Friday that following the Moskva incident, “we all realize that we will not be forgiven.”

Also read: Why did Moskva sink?

Ukraine reported two of its anti-ship missiles hit the Moskva, while the Kremlin has simply said that a fire on board caused the Black Sea fleet’s flagship to capsize.

Humeniuk stated “when the ammunition detonated, that showed they had been loaded enough to keep destroying Ukraine. …The impact led to the detonation of ammunition, they started struggling for survival.”

“We saw other ships try to help the cruiser, but even the nature was on Ukraine’s side, because the storm did not allow to carry out either a rescue operation or evacuate personnel,” she continued.

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Humeniuk mentioned Russian missile attacks in Ukraine’s south since Thursday night, following the Moskva incident.

“Currently there is an attack in Mykolaiv. We see that this is again the use of cluster munitions prohibited by international conventions,” she said.

A CNN team in Mykolaiv reported to have heard multiple rounds of explosions between 10:20 a.m. and 12 p.m. local time Friday. At least two individuals were slain in front of the city’s Orthodox church.

According to Humeniuk, the situation in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions “is characterized by the fact that the enemy uses its brutal manners in the placing of equipment and units in-between the local civilians and the civilian infrastructure like schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and the yards of local residents.”

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“Then at night they disappear from these positions, leave the villages and shell them, while accusing the Ukrainian Armed Forces of shelling civilians,” she said.

“Such actions are conducted in order to justify their status of liberators in the occupied territories,” she added.

“We realize that attacks on us will increase, that the enemy will try to take revenge,” Humeniuk said. “We are ready, we are resisting.”