VLADIMIR Putin has unleashed his first destructive attack of his fifth term as the Russian despot after a huge kamikaze drone and missiles rained down on Ukraine.
Russia launched the brutal bombings at three energy power plants across seven different war-torn regions causing “serious destruction”, say reports.
East2WestRussia launched a huge kamikaze drone and missile strikes across Ukraine leaving 14 buildings destroyed[/caption]
East2WestFirefighters battled to put out roaring fires caused by the Russian blasts[/caption]
EPAIt was Putin’s first move in his fifth term as president after his inauguration ceremony yesterday[/caption]
More than 55 missiles and 21 lethal drones were fired in parts of Lviv, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Ukraine’s air defences managed to thwart the majority of the savage attacks with just one drone hitting its target and 39 of the missiles being downed.
Despite the brave Ukrainian defence, 14 buildings turned to rubble or were left badly damaged in the Kyiv region.
At least three people have been injured including an eight-year-old girl, said officials.
Shocking video shows firefighters and rescue workers in Kyiv battling through thick plumes of smoke and crumbling buildings to try and help anyone trapped.
Men can be seen throwing burnt out pieces of furniture out of the way as they climb on top of roofs and scale up walls.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the nighttime strikes a massive attack.
National electrical grid operator Ukrenergo said facilities were hit in the Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
As two other energy facilities were hit in the Lviv region, according to regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi.
Ukraines biggest private energy supplier, DTEK, said attacks had seriously damaged equipment at three of its thermal power plants.
DTEK claimed this was the fifth attack in the last six weeks on their facilities.
The onslaught even caused Nato to scramble its warplanes from Poland due to the severity of the strikes.
Warsaw’s armed forces said: “We warn that Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace, which may lead to an increase in noise levels, especially in the south-eastern part of the country.”
They continued saying it was due to “increased activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation”.
The bombardment came as Ukraine was celebrating the victory over the Nazi regime during World War Two.
A Day of Remembrance was being honoured across the nation.
Putin’s Russia, who will commemorate the day on Thursday, have continued to spout bizarre claims saying Kyiv is riddled by Nazis.
The Kremlin are set to put on their annual massive Red Square military parade for Victory Day.
Russia also celebrated their tyrant leaders fifth term as the president yesterday.
Putin began his next farce campaign as Russia’s kingpin by walking through the gold plated walls of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
He was welcomed to the podium by hand-picked dignitaries as they applauded the tyrant for another six years of leadership.
Notably, only one French ambassador turned up for the event out of the Nato allies currently in a deep feud with Russia.
A beaming Putin, took centre stage with a giant Russian flag behind him as he was sworn in until 2030.
Putin’s shameful inauguration event
THE Russian tyrant delivered a short but snappy speech at the ceremony as he spoke on the bloody war in Ukraine, relationships with the West and the future.
He first thanked his military for “fighting for our motherland” as Putin looks to regain land in Crimea that he says was taken from Russia after Ukrainian independence in 1991.
Ever since, Putin has deemed the country made-up and manufactured – hence why he has brutally ripped through Ukraine with his army.
Labelling the last two years as “difficult” for Russia, Putin showed a rare sign of weakness before quickly stating he will be “successful” in his mission to take Ukraine.
The maniac also claimed he and his Kremlin cronies were defending Russian freedom, choice and the national interests despite being the ones who have constantly attacked, slaughtered and refused to cooperate with others during the war.
Russia has been walking across an incredibly thin line in recent weeks as they continue to stand off with Nato countries about their bigoted behaviour.
Nato allies such as the UK, US, France and Germany have all slammed Putin for his attitude towards Ukraine.
But just a day after Putin’s cronies accused Western leaders of being “scoundrels” and “infantile morons”, the leader seemed to offer an olive branch to his Nato foes.
He said in his speech: “We are not even refusing the dialogue with Western countries.”
Before asking if they will try to “look for ways to cooperate with” Russia.
Putin’s final words of the speech saw a more familiar snarling leader appear.
He told the rows of loyal dignities watching on that he will implement and realise everything Russia has ever dreamt of as a nation in the next six years.
Potentially signalling not only the end of the Ukraine war with a devastating win for Russia but also a much deeper European issue.
The widow of former Putin critic Alexei Navalny criticised Putin moments before he was sworn in.
Yulia Navalnaya called Putin a liar, a thief and a murderer.
She also labelled the war in Ukraine as “bloody and senseless”.
UKRAINE’S REVENGE
Paranoid Putin claims his attacks are retaliation for Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Ukraine conducted their own calculated hit on an oil depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, earlier on Wednesday.
The courageous troops deployed the US-supplied ATACMS missiles to destroy the depot and leave it up in flames.
A huge fire can be seen roaring at the facility after the gas pipeline burst as five were reportedly left wounded.
Power lines were also damaged proving the Ukrainian strike to be a resounding success.
Ukraine has been defiantly hitting back at Putin this month after Zelensky was given a huge backing from Nato allies.
A record £500million was earmarked for Zelensky’s war effort by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
As French President Emmanuel Macron declared he will send his countries troops to Ukraine if Putin breaks through the frontline.
Ukraine also deployed a new jet-ski sea drone at the start of the month, bristling with heat-seeking missiles to shoot down Russian helicopters.
The jerry-rigged drone was filmed by a Kremlin aircraft during a recent Black Sea attack.
The new weapon is hoped to cause Putin to be forced into changing his tactics and no longer pummel Ukraine’s fleet of sea drones from above.
Inside Putin’s 2024 election farce
PUTIN’S landslide victory back in March saw him win 87 per cent of the vote in a move that will take him near to a quarter-of-a-century rule until at least 2030.
The fifth spell in power sees Putin act as the Kremlin’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.
Putin cruised to an easy, predetermined victory as he was re-elected with a record percentage after facing token challengers and suppressing opposition voters.
The brazen ruler gave a “victory speech” at the time of his win – thanking Russians for their “trust” and “support” and once again threatened the West with World War 3.
He was congratulated by North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, China’s Xi Jinping and Iran‘s Ebrahim Raisi – far from stellar company to keep.
Putin can and most likely will run again when his term runs out in 2030 if all is well.
Despite the unbelievably high winning percentage, all wasn’t perfect for an already paranoid Putin.
Over 75 citizens were arrested as Russians protested against the farce elections.
The leaders biggest critic Alexei Navalny had asked Russians before his suspicious death to show up to spoil their ballots or vote for another candidate.
His widow Yulia echoed his calls in brave “noon against Putin” protests, joining throngs of protestors in Berlin herself and writing her dead husband’s name on the ballot.
Across the election weekend, Putin was enraged to see some brave Russians destroying ballots with ink and even throwing petrol bombs at voting booths.
In Russian embassies across the world where Putin’s rule is weaker, people were able to rise up even more defiantly when going to vote.
They turned out in huge numbers and some brandished banners reading messages like “He is not a president” and “This is not an election”.
A blood-red sign in Georgia read: “Enough Putin. Lies, War, Repressions.”
And a huge effigy in Berlin showed the despot in a bathtub, painted in Ukrainian colours, washing himself with blood.
East2WestUkraine hit a Russian oil depot and caused serious damage[/caption]