Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian missile attack that destroyed a television tower in Kharkiv was part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to intimidate Ukraine’s second-largest city, which has been under attack in recent weeks. increasingly frequent.
The attack sought to “make terror visible throughout the city and try to limit connection and access to information from Kharkiv,” Zelenskyy said in a speech Monday night.
The northeastern Kharkiv region straddles the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been locked in battle for more than two years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Moscow. The front line has changed little during a war of attrition, focused mainly on artillery, drones and trenches.
Since late March, Russia has increased pressure on Kharkiv, apparently aiming to exploit Ukraine’s shortage of air defense systems. It has hit the local power grid and affected apartment blocks.
On Monday, a Russian Kh-59 missile hit Kharkiv’s 250-meter (820-foot) tall television tower, breaking it roughly in half and halting transmissions.
A Washington think tank said Russia could be considering a ground attack on Kharkiv.
“The Kremlin is conducting a concerted air and information operation to destroy the city of Kharkiv, convince Ukrainians to flee, and internally displace millions of Ukrainians ahead of a possible future Russian offensive operation against the city or elsewhere in Ukraine,” the Institute for the Study of Se said in an assessment.
The expected arrival in Ukraine in the coming weeks of new military aid from its Western partners may have prompted Russia to step up its attacks before the aid arrives, the ISW said, adding that trying to capture Kharkiv would be “a major challenge” for Kremlin forces. .
Instead, the Russian military command “may attempt to destroy the city of Kharkiv with air, missile and drone strikes and cause large-scale internal displacement of Ukrainian civilians,” he said.
The US Senate returned to Washington on Tuesday to vote on $61 billion in war aid to Ukraine after months of delays. Zelensky said he was assured by US President Joe Biden that the aid would include artillery and long-range capabilities.
“Four priorities are key: sky defense, modern artillery, long-range capability and ensuring that American aid packages arrive as soon as possible,” Zelenskyy said.
Also on Tuesday, Britain pledged 500 million pounds ($620 million, 580 million euros) in new military supplies to Ukraine, including 400 vehicles, 60 ships, 1,600 ammunition and 4 million cartridges.
The shipment will also include long-range British Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 150 miles (240 kilometers) and have proven effective in hitting Russian targets, the British government said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Zelenskyy on Tuesday morning to confirm the new aid. He was due to announce the aid later on Tuesday during a visit to Warsaw where he met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
However, less encouraging news came from the European Union. EU countries that have Patriot air defense systems gave no clear signals on Monday that they might be willing to send them to Ukraine, which is desperately seeking at least seven of the missile batteries.
Ukraine’s military is also greatly outnumbered in the fight, and expanding the country’s mobilization has been a delicate issue.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday that authorities plan to take drastic measures against young men of medical prescription age who have moved abroad, and details of specific measures will be made public soon.
“Staying abroad does not exempt a citizen from his duties to the country,” Kuleba said on the X social media platform.
Meanwhile, Russia launched 16 Shahed drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles over the southern and central regions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said Tuesday morning. He said all but one of the drones were intercepted.
In Odessa, a residential building was hit during the overnight attack, wounding nine people, the regional governor said. Oleh Kiper said on Telegram on Tuesday. Among the injured were two babies and two children, ages nine and 12, Kiper said.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine