The Ukrainian army says that right this moment it attacked airfields in Russia, the place fighter jets used to bomb Ukrainian cities are saved. They are saying it is an try and weaken the Kremlin’s battle machine.
PIEN HUANG, HOST:
The Ukrainian army says that right this moment, it attacked airfields in Russia. That is the place fighter jets used to bomb Ukrainian cities are saved. Ukraine says it is an try and weaken the Kremlin’s battle machine, as Russia pushes a summer season offensive on the entrance line and on Ukrainian cities. The Kremlin is refusing to heed President Trump’s name to finish its battle on Ukraine shortly, even because the Pentagon stopped the cargo of air protection munitions on their option to Ukraine. Becoming a member of us from Kyiv to debate these developments is NPR’s Joanna Kakissis. Hey, Joanna.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Hey, Pien.
HUANG: So Joanna, let’s begin with the most recent, with Ukrainian assaults on Russia’s army infrastructure right this moment. What’s Ukraine hoping to perform?
KAKISSIS: So Pien, what Ukraine is attempting to do right here is injury army property that Russia makes use of to repeatedly assault Ukraine. So the Ukrainian Air Power mentioned right this moment that it focused an airfield in western Russia not removed from the Ukrainian border the place Russian fighter planes are saved. These planes launch missiles on Ukrainian cities nearly each evening, and these airstrikes kill and injure Ukrainians and destroy houses, companies, utilities, neighborhoods, all the things.
HUANG: Yeah. Is that this one thing that the Ukrainian army has achieved earlier than, focused Russian army airfields?
KAKISSIS: Sure, really, they’ve for months now, together with a reasonably daring operation final month by which drones have been secretly smuggled into distant airfields in Russia after which used to wreck heavy bomber planes there. Ukraine has additionally focused Russian depots with weapons and provide routes. However Russia is a a lot bigger nation than Ukraine. Russia has a much bigger weapon stockpile, and it will get weapon provides from international locations like North Korea. So Russia’s battle machine may be very laborious to take down.
HUANG: And Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities have turn into rather more frequent in current months. The most important one of many battle simply occurred on Thursday, and it focused Kyiv, the place you’re, Joanna. So how does Ukraine shield itself in opposition to these airstrikes?
KAKISSIS: So Ukraine makes use of air protection groups that function antiaircraft methods. There are additionally these cell models on vans that shoot down massive assault drones out of the sky utilizing mounted machine weapons. Now, on Thursday, Russia used 539 assault drones and 11 missiles in airstrikes which…
HUANG: Wow.
KAKISSIS: …Lasted all evening. And Pien, these are terrifying assaults. And lots of Ukrainians shelter in subways. And right here at NPR’s bureau, like everybody else in Kyiv, we will hear the drones and the missiles coming in and the air protection system capturing them down. You’ll be able to’t sleep, and the air, , smells pungent prefer it’s burning. The logic right here is, if Russia retains attacking Ukraine with lots of of drones and missiles per strike, there’s concern that Ukraine goes to run low on air protection munitions.
HUANG: Joanna, Ukraine counts on the U.S. and different allies to produce a few of these munitions. How did Ukrainians react to the Pentagon’s determination reported this week to pause a cargo on its option to Ukraine?
KAKISSIS: So there was quite a lot of unease right here. Ukrainians see it as an indication that the U.S. shouldn’t be such a dependable ally anymore. And it is feeding right into a perception right here that the Trump administration’s actions are literally emboldening Russia as an alternative of pushing the Kremlin towards a ceasefire. Here is Hanna Shelest. She is the pinnacle of safety research on the Ukrainian Prism Overseas Coverage Council.
HANNA SHELEST: As for now, I do not see anyone besides Russia who’s profitable. All the things – what I heard from Russia and what I noticed on the bottom – none of those have been giving me any trace that Russia is making ready a ceasefire.
KAKISSIS: And each Ukrainian we communicate to desires a ceasefire, however not on Russia’s phrases, which, to Ukrainians, means capitulation. So Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mentioned Russia began this battle, and Russia should be pressured to finish it.
HUANG: That is NPR’s Joanna Kakissis in Kyiv. Joanna, thanks for maintaining us updated.
KAKISSIS: Thanks a lot for having me on the present.
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