A man stands next to an apartment building damaged by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Marienko)
Russia Ukraine War
KYIV, Ukraine (77WABC) — Russia claims that it destroyed several air defense systems in Ukraine over the weekend, in what appeared to be a renewed push to gain air superiority and take out weapons Kyiv has described as crucial ahead of a broad new offensive in the east.
In one strike announced Monday, Moscow said that it hit four S-300 launchers provided by a European country it didn’t name. Slovakia gave Ukraine just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed.
Russia reported two other strikes on the air defense systems. Moscow’s initial invasion stalled on several fronts as it met with stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.
The failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has hampered Moscow’s ability to provide air cover for troops on the ground.
—Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.