Russian forces fire barrage of cruise and other missiles at targets across Ukraine
LA TimesWorkers climb a ladder to clear rubble from the top of a building damaged by a Russian rocket in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Russian forces used a variety of missile types, firing 36 total in a two-hour overnight burst, said Ukraine’s military chief, Valery Zaluzhny. The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said Russian forces “changed their tactics” for the strike, deploying what he described as “active reconnaissance” and “false targets.” Russian troops had launched balloons with corner reflectors to deceive Ukraine’s air defense as part of an effort to retake some battlefield advantage after months of setbacks, Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said. “This indicates that are preparing and not sleeping,” Danilov said on Ukrainian TV, “and they are starting to use other methods.” Ukrainian air defenses have been strengthened by Western-supplied weapons systems and that have had high rates of success against previous Russian barrages of missiles and killer drones. Overall, Russian attacks and shelling over the previous 24 hours killed at least seven people, Ukraine’s presidential office said Thursday.