Russian officials claimed on Sunday that they attacked another Ukrainian base that allegedly functioned as a training center for special operations forces, killing more than 100 people. At the same time, Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian troops bombed an art school in the besieged city.
Pentagon spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in state media that “high-precision air-launched missiles” attacked Ovruch’s base in the northern region of Zhytomyr in central and northern Ukraine. According to state-sponsored RIA Novosti, he said it was recently “foreign mercenaries arriving in Ukraine” that were killed in the airstrikes.
Konashenkov did not provide evidence of the allegation that the base was used by foreign mercenaries or Ukrainian special forces. Ukrainian authorities have not released public comments on Sunday’s statement by Konashenkov.
Over the weekend, Moscow also said it used hypersonic missiles to destroy Ukrainian military assets. This is the first time Russia has allowed the use of such weapons in a month-long conflict.
In that case, the Russian Defense Ministry said the missiles destroyed a large underground storage facility for missiles and aviation ammunition in the Ivano-Frankowsk region of Ukraine. There were reports that Russia may have used the Kinzhal air-to-ground missile, which is alleged to have a Mach 10 speed.
As Russian officials claimed, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that Russian troops bombed an art school protecting about 400 people in the embarrassed port city of Mariupol.
“So far, we don’t have accurate operational data on the number of people hiding in shelters or the number of casualties. I think it will be late today. But the situation is difficult and there is no place to get the data.” Said In a statement on Sunday, Petro Andruschenko, an adviser to the Mayor’s Office of Mariupol.
It was the second time in less than a week that city officials reported public buildings that were attacked by residents using shelters. According to local officials, a bomb struck the Mariupol Theater on Wednesday, with more than 1,300 believed to be inside. Russia has denied bombing the theater.
“Doing this in a peaceful city is what the occupiers have done and is a horror that will be remembered for centuries,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told the country in a nightly video speech. “The more Russia uses terrorism against Ukraine, the worse the consequences.”
Since the beginning of the conflict on February 24, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has stated that more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jack Phillips is the latest news reporter for The Epoch Times, based in New York.