War

One thousand sixtieth day. The Russian army fired a ballistic missile at Kyiv. The Russian Ministry of Defense named the Luch design bureau, which designs the Neptune missiles, as the target of the attack.

Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. In our daily materials, we dwell in detail on several stories that are affecting the course of the war right now. We also publish your letters because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Please share your opinion about Russians who voluntarily enter into contracts with the Ministry of Defense, and if you know such people, tell us about them and their motives. Find the feedback form at the end of this article. You can read the previous day's review here .

Ukraine

The Russian military launched a strike on Kyiv in the early morning of January 18. The mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitaliy Klitschko, said that the air defense system was activated in the city to repel an attack by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.

As a result of the attack, according to the mayor, a non-residential building in the Shevchenko district caught fire, a residential building, a water supply pipeline and the entrance to the Lukyanovskaya metro station were damaged. It was closed to passengers. Judging by eyewitness video from the scene, the streets in the area of ​​the impact were flooded due to a pipeline break.

The State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations also reported that at the site of the Russian strike in Kyiv, an administrative building, a business center and a store were partially destroyed, and ten cars were damaged.

Three people were killed - men aged 43 and 25 and a 41-year-old woman, and three more were injured.

The Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that overnight the Russian army launched 39 Shahed-type attack drones and simulator drones, as well as four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles into Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense shot down two missiles and 24 drones, and another 14 simulator drones were “locally lost,” the military said. “Unfortunately, as a result of an enemy strike on Kiev, people died - downed ballistic missiles fell in the Shevchenko district of the city,” the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, commenting on the Russian army’s attack on Kiev, mentioned that only civilian infrastructure was damaged: residential buildings, metro station, shops, cafes.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that the target of the strike was the Luch design bureau, an enterprise of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex that designs and produces Neptune long-range guided missiles and rockets for the Vilkha multiple launch rocket system.

The Russian military department called the attack on Kyiv a response to the shelling of civilian infrastructure in the Belgorod region by American ATACMS missiles. “The objectives of the strike were achieved, all objects were hit,” the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.

According to open data, the Luch design bureau is located in the Shevchenkovsky district of Kyiv on Ilyenko Street, building 2, near the Lukyanovskaya metro station.

War through the eyes of Meduza readers

Alexander. I have several relatives and acquaintances fighting on the side of Russia in Ukraine. One uncle, a repeat offender who spent most of his life in prison, signed a contract solely for the sake of money. He doesn’t hide it, he understands that he is not fighting any Bandera Nazis, but [is] fighting with ordinary Ukrainian soldiers. But it’s all just for the sake of money, he doesn’t care about the rest: but he’s not in prison.

Another uncle listened to enough propaganda and signed a contract to defend the country from NATO, even though he was already old. One acquaintance dreamed of fighting all his life, of feeling like a warrior. I signed a contract in the fall of 2022, and I’m still at the front. He is deaf in his ears and has a limp in his leg due to shrapnel, he is terribly disappointed in both the war and the army, he wants it all to end, but they won’t let him go.

Another acquaintance also signed a contract solely for the sake of money, but soon realized how things were and refused to go into the assault for slaughter. Now he’s in prison for refusing - but it’s better than lying in the ground. Why do people go? In my opinion, despite the fact that many believe that this is for the sake of an idea, or a homeland, or something so sublime, it is still only and exclusively for the sake of money.

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