Russia: First Attack on Kyiv in Weeks Ruined Donated Tanks

Things had been quiet in the capital for 5 weeks
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2022 6:02 AM CDT
Russia: First Attack on Kyiv in Weeks Ruined Donated Tanks
Smoke rises after Russian missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, June 5, 2022.   (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Things had largely been quiet in Kyiv in the past five weeks as Russia focused its attacks on Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. That changed early Sunday. The BBC reports the normalcy that had seemingly begun to return to the capital was shattered by a number of explosions, with Russia saying it hit T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles that had been donated by the West. Russia's defense ministry said long-range high-precision missiles were used to specifically target the tanks, with Vladimir Putin saying Russia would "strike targets we haven't hit before" if Ukraine is indeed supplied with longer-range missiles. The AP notes it wasn't clear if Putin was referring to targets within Ukraine or outside of it.

Meanwhile, new comments by French President Emmanuel Macron on the subject of the war haven't been too well received. "We must not humiliate Russia so that the day the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic channels," he said in a Saturday interview, per the Guardian. As the Hill puts it, "France has attempted to mediate the conflict between Ukraine and Russia since the war began and maintain civil relationships with both sides," and Macron said he had logged more than 100 hours of conversation with Putin since December.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded forcefully in a tweet, writing, "Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. Because it is Russia that humiliates itself. We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives." President Zelensky seemingly referred to the comments in an address Saturday night, saying: "The Russian army can stop burning churches. The Russian army can stop destroying cities. The Russian army can stop killing children. If the same person in Moscow just gives such an order. And the fact that there is still no such order is an obvious humiliation for the whole world." (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)

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