Russian forces fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday in a blistering wave of strikes targeting energy infrastructure, a day after Germany and the United States pledged heavy tanks for Kyiv.
The latest wave of attacks came as the Kremlin said Moscow perceived the tank deliveries “as direct involvement in the conflict,” and Ukraine conceded it was facing mounting pressure from Russian troops on the eastern front.
On a road near the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, a team of medics welcomed the long-awaited promise of heavy tanks.
“This should have happened sooner and in bigger quantities,” a doctor named Liza told AFP, adding that she was “very thankful.”
On Wednesday, the United States announced it will provide 31 Abrams tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, mirroring a similar move by Germany.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Leopard tanks pledged by Berlin will arrive in “late March, early April.”
Training of Ukrainian troops on German Marder infantry fighting vehicles will start in the next few days, he added, and “a little later” for the Ukrainian soldiers who will be trained on the Leopard.
In Kyiv, the Ukrainian army said its forces had destroyed 47 of the 55 missiles launched by Russia in a new wave of attacks on Thursday.
Russian missiles killed one person and wounded two more in the capital, said Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The 55-year-old man was killed by fragments of a missile that was shot down by Ukrainian air defence systems, city officials said.