Russia missiles hit Kyiv military factory

KYIV • Russian strikes pounded a military factory near Kyiv that makes the missiles Ukraine claims it used to sink the Moskva naval flagship, with Moscow on Friday vowing further such attacks.

A workshop and an administrative building at the Vizar plant, which lies near Kyiv's international Zhuliany airport, were seriously damaged in the overnight strikes. Russia had earlier announced that it had used Kalibr sea-based long-range missiles to hit the factory, which Ukraine's state weapons manufacturer Ukroboronprom says produced Neptune missiles.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on social media that one person was killed in the attack and several more were taken to hospital for treatment. "Our forces are doing everything possible to protect us, but the enemy is insidious and ruthless," he said.

Mr Andrei Sizov, a 47-year-old owner of a nearby workshop, said: "There were five hits. My employee was in the office and got thrown off his feet by the blast."

He said he believes Russia was taking revenge for the Moskva warship that sank last Thursday, with United States defence officials claiming the warship was hit by two Neptune missiles.

Although Russian forces last month started withdrawing from around Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, as they were redeployed to focus on territory in the east of the country, the city remains vulnerable to missile strikes.

"The number and scale of missile strikes against targets in Kyiv will increase in response to any terrorist attacks or sabotage committed by the Kyiv nationalist regime on Russian territory," Ukraine's defence ministry said.

"As a result of the strike on the Zhulyansky machine-building plant 'Vizar', the workshops for the production and repair of long-range and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as anti-ship missiles, were destroyed," the ministry said.

Russia's defence ministry said a blast on the Moskva vessel was the result of exploding ammunition and that the resulting damage had caused it to "lose its balance" as it was being towed to port.

Russia's Black Sea fleet has been blockading the southern port city of Mariupol, where Russian officials say they are in full control.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine partly because of deepening ties between Kyiv and the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), on Friday warned of unspecified "consequences" should Finland and Sweden join the US-led defence alliance.

The two countries are considering joining Nato after Russia's devastating invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it was trying to break Russian forces' siege of Mariupol, with fighting raging around the city's Illich steel works and port.

Russia's defence ministry said it had captured the Illich steel works.

Ukrainian defenders are mainly believed to be holding out in Azovstal, another huge steel works. Both plants form the backbone of Ukraine's industrial east.

Moscow has used its naval power to blockade Ukrainian ports and threaten a potential amphibious landing along Ukraine's southern and eastern coast.

Seizing the eastern Donbass region, where Russian-backed separatists control the Donetsk and Lugansk areas, would allow Moscow to create a southern corridor to the occupied Crimean peninsula.

The Ukrainian authorities have been urging people in the south and the Donbass area to quickly move west in advance of a large-scale Russian offensive.

In the eastern city of Kramatorsk, Russian forces were recently accused of targeting a train station used for evacuations, in an attack that left more than 50 people dead. The tenuous situation led Kyiv to halt evacuations on Wednesday, saying the situation along humanitarian corridors was too unsafe.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS