Russian cruise missiles hit Ukraine's Air Force Command Centre, claims Ukrainian military

Ukraine’s Air Force Command Center, on Friday, was hit by a barrage of six Russian cruise missiles, the country’s military said underscoring another offensive by Putin’s forces as their invasion entered the second month. In a statement, the Ukrainian army asserted that the aerial attack caused “significant destruction” to the infrastructure of the Command Centre although consequences are still being examined.  It added that the command centre was located in the central west city of Vinnytsia.

"Today, March 25, around 4:30 pm, Russian occupiers launched a missile strike on the territory of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Vinnytsia," the Ukrainian military said. "A total of six cruise missiles were released by the Russians. Some of them were hit by air defence. The rest struck several structures, causing significant destruction to the infrastructure," it added.

Russia shifts focus from Kyiv

The Russian invasion of Ukraine continued for the 31st day on Saturday with Kremlin now shifting their focus from Kyiv to the separatist-held Donbas region. Associated Press reported that Russian troops are now believed to aim for the liberation of the contested Donbas region. Notably, following the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014, two parts Donetsk and Luhansk declared themselves independent and are allegedly supported by Kremlin. Meanwhile, combat in Mariupol has continued. 

No agreement reached: Kuleba

This comes as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has refuted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s claim that Russia and Ukraine are close to consensus. On March 25,  Kuleba expressed gratitude to Ankara, particularly President Erdogan for their political and humanitarian support in the midst of the war with Russia. However, he also said that there is no consensus with Russia, claiming that negotiation is challenging. He claimed that the Ukrainian delegation has taken a firm stance and will not compromise on its demands of the cease-fire, as well as security guarantees and Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Previously,  Erdogan had stated that Ukraine and Russia have reached an agreement on four of the six points of contention, according to Middle East Eye. He predicted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would abandon Ukraine's NATO candidacy and recognise Russian as one of the country's official languages.

(File Image: AP)