If Ukraine attacks targets on Russian soil, Russia’s Defense Ministry promised to increase bombings on Kyiv on Friday.
What’s at stake: The threat comes after the ministry stated that the Moskva cruiser, the Black Sea fleet’s flagship, had been sunk. Russia said the ship sank in a storm while being hauled for repairs after a fire broke out on board, while Ukraine claimed it was hit with cruise missiles.
Overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have bombed a military plant on the outskirts of Kyiv.
What they’re saying: “In response to any terrorist actions or acts of sabotage on Russian territory conducted by the Kyiv nationalist dictatorship, the number and scale of missile strikes on targets in Kyiv will rise,” Russia’s Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov stated.
The overall picture:
The United Nations Human Rights Council estimated on Thursday that at least 1,964 civilians have died and 2,613 have been injured as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though it cautioned that its estimates were likely much lower than the actual figures due to ongoing fighting delaying documentation efforts.
The Human Rights Council stated that “the majority of civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a large effect area, such as shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missile and air strikes.”