The Russian military said Thursday that it destroyed 74 military installations in Ukraine, including 11 airfields, as part of the attack ordered by Moscow.
“Following airstrikes by the Russian armed forces, 74 ground military installations were put out of action. This includes 11 air force airfields,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov announced on television.
The military added that Russian forces destroyed “three command posts, a Ukrainian naval base and 18 radar stations for S-300 and Buk-M1 missile defense systems.”
In addition, he indicated that they shot down a helicopter and four Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 drones.
Konashenkov said that a Russian Su-25 fighter crashed due to a “mistake” by the pilot, but that he managed to eject and is “safe in his military unit.”
The spokesman said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered the army to “treat the Ukrainian military with respect.”
According to him, the pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists, protected by bombing from Moscow, managed to “advance 7 kilometers” in their offensive.
These claims could not be verified by an independent source.