Russian Military Not Targeting Civil Infrastructure in Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Says
Russian military operations in Ukraine are not targeting civilian infrastructure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow stated, in response to claims by Kiev that 18 civilians, including nine children, were killed and 56 others wounded in a Russian attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on Friday.
Peskow made the comment on Monday, when he was asked if it was possible that there was a mistake on the Russian side, perhaps due to inaccurate intelligence, before the attacks took place.
Peskow replied, “We should rely entirely on the explanation of our Defense Ministry. Our military is only striking military and military-related targets. There are no attacks on social infrastructure facilities.”
The Defense Ministry released a statement on Saturday, saying that the attack in Kryvyi Rih hit a meeting point of Ukrainian military unit commanders and western trainers at one of the city’s restaurants.
According to the ministry, up to 85 Ukrainian and foreign soldiers and officers were killed and up to 20 vehicles were damaged in the attack.
On Monday, the Defense Ministry said that Ukraine continued to violate a 30-day ceasefire by launching attacks on energy infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, had agreed on the ceasefire in a phone call on March 18 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later concurred with the agreement.
In the past 24 hours, however, Ukrainian forces have used drones and artillery to attack six energy facilities in the Russian regions of Voronezh, Bryansk, Kherson and the Donetsk People’s Republic, damaging the infrastructure and disrupting power supply, the ministry said.