Russia's Iskander-M missile defense system struck a temporary deployment site for foreign mercenaries in the industrial zone of the city of Kharkov, killing up to 100 military personnel, including 40 foreign instructors, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Thursday.
"The crew of the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system carried out a missile strike on the temporary deployment site of foreign mercenaries in ... the industrial zone of the city of Kharkov. As a result of the strike, up to 100 militants were killed, of which 40 were foreign instructors, as well as about 60 servicemen of the 151st mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces," the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has previously reported the elimination of mercenaries from the United States, the United Kingdom, Georgia, and other countries, and regularly reports on the destruction of locations where foreigners fighting for Kiev are concentrated.
According to the Ministry, over 13,000 foreign mercenaries have arrived in Ukraine to fight for the Kiev regime since the start of the special operation. During this period, about 6,000 fighters have been eliminated.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday shared a video on its official Telegram channel purporting to show the attack on the facility, which reportedly belongs to a construction company, using the Iskander-M. The missile system launches hypersonic missiles carrying a 700kg payload and is capable of hitting targets up to 500km away. It’s stated that the strike took out some 100 fighters, 40 of whom were foreign instructors and 60 were Ukrainian servicemen.
Video shared by the ministry several hours later also supposedly shows an Iskander-M group missile strike on the Kharkov Armored Plant. Two workshops for repairing armored vehicles were destroyed in the attack, halting the facility’s operations, the report claimed.
Earlier this week, the ministry reported another attack on a deployment point for foreign instructors located in the town of Dergachi in Kharkov Region. The facility was also destroyed using the Iskander-M system and some 50 foreigners were said to have been eliminated in the strike.
The targeted attacks against foreign instructors operating in Ukraine come after repeated warnings by Moscow that any military personnel or weapons sent from abroad to aid Kiev are considered legitimate targets for Russian forces.
“The fact is that any instructors involved in training the military of the Ukrainian regime do not have any immunity,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed last month in response to discussions in the EU, particularly in France, about sending Western military instructors to Ukraine.
It’s unclear how many foreign instructors are currently operating in Ukraine. However, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported earlier this month that the French army was growing “concerned” about the increased number of Frenchmen who have been killed during the Ukraine conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently stated that Western military trainers have “long been present” in Ukraine “under the guise of mercenaries” and have continued to suffer casualties.
Three Foreign Officers Taken to Romania After Strike in Odessa Region - Underground Network
Three foreign officers were airlifted to Romania after a strike on the Ukrainian-held city of Izmail in the Odessa region, the coordinator of the pro-Russian underground network in Nikolayev, told Sputnik on Thursday.
"Yesterday, a series of strikes hit Izmail. Today, when Romanian neighbors came to retrieve their dead, another strike was launched. And again the ambulances came 'flying,' three foreign officers were evacuated towards Romania by helicopters," Sergei Lebedev said.
Air defense, electronic warfare systems and warehouses storing missiles in the Kiev region were targeted overnight, Lebedev said. A strike on the city of Belaya Tserkov, near Kiev, hit warehouses that are believed to have stored long-range missiles and depleted-uranium munitions.
Another strike hit a rail station in the Smila city of Cherkassy region, destroying a train loaded with military equipment.
There have also been reports of a powerful explosion on the outskirts of Kharkov, with two hits registered. Four strikes hit the suburbs of the Zhitomir, Lebedev said.
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