Russia claims it shot down Ukrainian missiles targeting residential areas in Kherson

Russia claimed that its air defence thwarted a massive missile attack by Ukrainian troops using Tochka-U ballistic missiles on residential areas in Kherson. Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov confirmed the news on April 28. According to him, on April 27 at around 23:00 Moscow time, Ukrainian armed forces launched a massive missile strike on residential areas housing kindergartens, schools, and other social institutions in the central section of Kherson, employing Tochka-U missiles and high-powered multiple rocket launchers.

"The targets of the indiscriminate missile strike by the nationalists were residential areas in the area of ​​Ushakov Avenue, where kindergartens, schools and many social institutions are also located. Russian air defense units repelled the Ukrainian troops' missile attack on residential areas of Kherson," Konashenkov claimed.

Twelve high-power multiple rocket launchers, as well as two Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missiles, were shot down in the air over the city, according to the military department, with remnants of one of the downed Ukrainian Tochka-U missiles landing in Shevchenko Park. He added that air defence systems in the city of Izyum, Kharkiv region, repelled an attack by a Ukrainian ballistic missile on residential areas, with the target being the city hospital, where a Russian medical detachment is stationed, providing assistance to the Kharkiv region's population.

Russian spokesperson calls Ukraine's Missile attack a 'war crime'

"The Kyiv nationalist regime's indiscriminate missile strikes on the residential areas of Izyum and Kherson is a war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," the Defense Ministry spokesperson said.

Houses, a communications centre, a clinic, a city hall, a maritime college, a maritime academy, and the House of Trade Unions were damaged by fragments of destroyed missiles, according to Kirill Stremousov, the deputy chairman of the military-civilian administration of the Kherson region and the head of the committee for the salvation of the Kherson region, "For Peace and Order," Zaporozhye 24 reported.

Earlier, late Wednesday, a series of explosions were reported near a television tower in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. According to both Ukrainian and Russian news outlets, the series of explosions temporarily knocked Russian channels off the air. The broadcasts, according to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, have resumed. It also stated that the Russian channels began broadcasting from Kherson last week.

(With agency inputs, Image: AP)