Russia deploys strategic bombers to launch cruise missiles

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The Tu-95 was designed to launch nuclear weapons but it is also capable of firing cruise missiles. Screenshot by Russian Defense Ministry Press Office/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 16 (UPI) — The Ukrainian military says at least 76 missiles were fired at Ukraine on Friday and that 60 were intercepted. Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih’s military administration, said two civilians were killed and eight were injured in the strikes. Advertisement
Russian Ilyushin-76 A50U and Mig-31K aircraft were airborne over Belarus during the raid, Ukrainian forces said. The Ilyushin-76 A50U is designed to function as an early warning and control aircraft and the Mig-31K is capable of deploying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which are difficult to intercept, though it’s unclear if the weapons were used in Friday’s raid.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Inhat said Kh-555 and Kh-101 cruise missiles were launched from the Tu-95 bombers in the area of the Engles air base in Russia. The Tu-95 is designed to carry nuclear weapons but can also fire cruise missiles and conventional munitions.
RELATED Ukraine military chief warns Russia could renew assault on Kyiv
The head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, says the region was hit by ten Russian S-300 missiles.
“This morning began at 7 a.m. when a Russian S-300 missile hit a hospital in Kupyansk. Rescuers are working there. There were several hits on critical infrastructure in Kharkiv city and in Chuhuiv district of Kharkiv region,” Syniehubov said on Telegram.
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Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said nine power facilities were damaged by the strikes. The attack disrupted services throughout Ukraine, “due to damage to the power system and emergency power outages, subway trains will not be running today until the end of the day,” the Kyiv city administration said in a Telegram post.
The United States condemned Friday’s raid. The Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, John Kirby, accused Russia of “again trying to put fear into the hearts of the Ukrainian people and to make it that much harder on them as winter is now upon them.”
The founder of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused France of being behind a parcel explosion which injured a Russian citizen closely linked to the mercenary army at the “Russian House” in the Central African Republic.
“Before losing consciousness, Dmitry Syty managed to say: ‘I saw a note: This is for you from all the French, the Russians will get our of Africa,” Prigozhin wrote in a Telegram post.