Ukraine shells Berdyansk port, downs Russian drones and cruise missiles

Europe, News June 3, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

A Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region claimed that the Ukrainian forces carried out heavy shelling in the port city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov on Jun 2, 2023. At least nine people have been reported dead as a result of the shelling.

Vladimir Rogov, an official from the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region, shared a video that showed a cloud of heavy smoke rising from the Berdyansk port. Rogov claimed that the shelling was carried out by the Ukrainian forces. He said that according to the initial information, there have been nine casualties, however, the actual number of deaths is yet to be confirmed. “Information on the fatalities is being clarified,” Vladimir Rogov said in his social media post.

The head of Berdyansk’s military administration, Victoria Galitsyna, also spoke with media reporters regarding the recent attack. She speculated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were trying to target Russian S-300 air defense systems installed near the port. “We cannot say for sure what was damaged, but there is unconfirmed information that these were air defense installations, in particular, the S-300,” she said.

Ukrainian officials say that the successful attack at the military installations has forced Russia to hastily remove its equipment from the region. According to the mayor of Melitopol, “Occupiers are urgently leaving the Berdyansk port, perhaps the climate was not suitable.”

Zaporizhzhia is one of five Ukrainian regions, including the Crimea peninsula, that Russia claims to have annexed. Moscow has installed administrators in the regions, however, Ukrainian forces have pushed back with renewed strategies this time to take back the annexed regions.

*^{Smoke billows from a fire on a Russian ship at the port of Berdiansk on March 24, 2022. (Image Credit: Kirillovka.ks.ua/via Reuters)}*

After equipping itself with the latest military equipment during the winter, Ukraine has scaled out its latest counteroffensive strategy that focuses on air strikes and missile attacks. Kyiv has received a large number of missile systems and long-range cruise missiles from its Western partners that are being used in the latest counteroffensive. Ukraine has also improved its air defense system in the wake of Russia’s increased drone and missile attacks.

Separately on June 2, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed that its defense systems took down at least 15 Russian-launched cruise missiles and 21 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones, in a single night. The air force reported that during the first phase of the air attack, Russian forces launched 21 Shahed drones from the southern direction around 11:00 p.m. Later the same night at around 3 a.m., 15 Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles were launched by Russian Tu-95 bombers flying in Ukraine from the northern direction.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that all the missiles and drones were intercepted mid-air. The officials also highlighted that Russia uses the cheaper Shahid drones before any major missile strike to exhaust the Ukrainian air defense system. Over the month of May alone, Russia conducted over 20 missile and drone attacks against Kyiv using the same pattern.