Ukrainian forces launched another attack on one of Russia's largest satellite communication centers on Tuesday

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces attacked one of Russia’s largest satellite communication centers on Tuesday (June 30). On the same day, Russia reported that it shot down 419 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight Monday, including in Moscow Oblast.

This latest strike comes as Kyiv intensifies its long-range drone attacks to pressure the Kremlin into ending the war, which has lasted for four years.

Zelenskyy stated that one of the targets was the Dubna Satellite Communications Centre located north of Moscow. The facility is used for Russian intelligence gathering and coordinating military operations involving Russian forces engaged in Ukraine. It lies approximately 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

This marks the second time Ukraine has attacked the Dubna satellite communications center. Ukrainian military officials had previously claimed on June 22 that they used drones to strike the facility. However, Russian authorities stated that communications and television broadcasts at the site were unaffected, and no staff members were injured.

Zelenskyy also said on the 30th that Ukrainian forces have recently struck four similar Russian centers in Moscow Oblast and Vladimir Oblast.

Andrey Vorobyov, governor of Moscow Oblast, confirmed on the 30th that a drone hit an "administrative building," with no casualties reported so far. Additionally, another drone crashed into a residential home in Moscow Oblast on Tuesday; rescuers managed to save two adults and two children, but a baby died en route to hospital.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said multiple waves of drones targeted Russia’s capital starting late Monday night, with Russian air defenses shooting down at least 61 drones. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the country’s air defense systems have intercepted or destroyed a total of 419 drones since late Monday night.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned Ukraine’s attacks on the Moscow region on Tuesday, telling media that “civilians are suffering, children are dying.”

In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified pressure on Russia by launching deeper strikes inside Russian territory, primarily targeting oil refineries, but also carrying out large-scale drone attacks on Moscow and Saint Petersburg. As the war increasingly approaches Russian soil, growing discontent among some Russian civilians has emerged.

Last week, Zelenskyy announced a 40-day military operation aimed at “forcing” Russia to end the war.

On Friday (June 26), Crimea’s leader Sergei Aksyonov declared a state of emergency in the occupied peninsula due to Ukraine’s continuous drone attacks on the region’s energy infrastructure, which have caused widespread power outages, severe fuel shortages, and cut off Crimea’s supply lines to Russian military forces.

By June 26, traffic across the Kerch Strait Bridge had nearly come to a standstill, with over 2,000 vehicles stranded, waiting hours to cross.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said last week that Ukraine’s core strategic objective is to turn Crimea into an “island isolated from the mainland.”

In Sevastopol, located on the southwestern tip of the Crimean Peninsula, a strategically vital port city and naval base in the Black Sea, authorities have implemented strict measures: gasoline sales to ordinary citizens have been suspended, remaining fuel reserves are reserved only for emergency rescue units and government vehicles, streetlights have been turned off, public transportation reduced, outdoor events banned, and summer camps and tourism activities suspended.

Last Friday (June 26), Ukrainian local officials revealed that Russian drones attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. However, Ukraine and Russia completed their latest prisoner exchange on the same day, each releasing 160 captured soldiers—all of the released Ukrainian troops had been detained since 2022.

At a recent G7 summit, the UK announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet,” military-industrial supply chains, and Chinese companies supporting the Russian military. The EU, Canada, and Switzerland have since followed suit.

Subsequently, a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet”—the vessel named *Deliver*—was seized by the French Navy and taken to waters near Marseille. The Russian embassy denounced the action as “piracy.”

Meanwhile, two NATO Eastern flank member states issued warnings that Russia may be preparing provocative actions in the Baltic States or Poland to test the cohesion of the Western alliance.

Source: rfi

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869478136080650/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone