Russian missiles strike Kyiv for first time in a month, targeting tank facility
It was Russia's first missile strike on Kyiv in more than a month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian missiles struck Kyiv on Sunday, shattering the city's relative calm with a strike Russia said targeted a facility housing foreign-supplied tanks.
Footage shows several large explosions in Kyiv, but it is unclear what was struck. The Russian Defense Ministry released a statement Sunday morning claiming the strike had hit a former car-repair facility being used to house T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles supplied by Ukrainian allies, NEXTA reported.
The five missiles were the first Russia fired into Kyiv in more than a month, shattering a sense of relative calm in the city.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russia has previously been inaccurate in its missile strikes, hitting a Kyiv residential building in late February.
UKRAINE CLAIMS IT HAS TAKEN BACK PART OF EASTERN CITY OF SIEVIERODONETSK FROM RUSSIA
The strike comes just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to start hitting harder so long as the U.S. continues to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting," Putin said in an interview last week when asked about the issue.
President Joe Biden approved an additional $700 million in military aid to Ukraine last week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The package included everything from rocket systems to spare parts for vehicles and other equipment. Most notable were the Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, the weapons Putin was referring to as an escalation on the part of the U.S.
Other items include five counter-artillery radars; two air surveillance radars; 1,000 Javelin shoulder-launched rockets; 50 Command Launch Units; 6,000 anti-armor weapons; 15,000 155mm artillery rounds; four Mi-17 helicopters, and 15 tactical vehicles, in addition to spare parts and equipment, according to the Department of Defense.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}That list only adds to the existing $4.6 billion in security assistance the U.S. has already granted to Ukraine under President Biden's administration alone.