Ukraine destroys Russian helicopter with British-made missile

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Russia for its strike on a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, in which an estimated 20 people died. Mr Zelensky said Moscow had “wanted to kill as many people as possible” in an “act of state terrorism”. He added: “The Russian missile hit this very object, purposefully. Obviously, that was the order. “It is obvious that Russian assassins received such coordinates for this missile.

“They wanted to kill as many people as possible in a peaceful city, in a regular shopping mall.”

Russia’s defence ministry admitted to launching the strike, but still claims they were hitting a “military target”.

Fighting in the east between Russia and Ukraine has led to something of a stalemate in recent weeks.

But Sir Lawrence Freedman, a professor of war, said this week that the Russians could be vulnerable if Ukraine launches a counteroffensive

He told Times Radio: “We’ve been through a stage after the impressive initial Ukrainian ability to resist and push Russia back, we’ve now had grinding, attritional warfare in which both sides have greatly suffered.

“Russian forces haven’t actually achieved a lot, they have taken a couple of places which they had to put a lot of effort into taking.

“The question people are asking is, as the more advanced western weapons are going in, is this going to turn the course of the war? I think there’s a chance that it will.

“The basic problem for the Russians is that they have scrambled around to keep their numbers up, they have used their artillery, but they are running out of options now.

“If there is a serious Ukrainian push they may struggle to cope with it.”

Various experts have given their view on what Russia is trying to accomplish at this point in the war.

Speaking to the Moscow Times this week, independent military analyst Pavel Luzin said Russian command is “experimenting due to issues [on the battlefield] and are trying not to lose this war,”

It comes as General Alexander Dvornikov, who was reportedly previously in charge of the Russian offensive, has not been seen in public for weeks.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Gennady Zhidko appeared alongside Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on a visit to eastern Ukraine last weekend.

Some experts believe this indicates a shake-up in Moscow to try and turn the tide of the conflict.

Military analyst Rob Lee tweeted: “It appears to confirm that Colonel-General Gennady Zhidko is the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.”

A US think tanks, the Institute for the Study of War, added: “Drastic rotations within the Russian military, if true, are not actions taken by a force on the verge of a major success.”

Shoigu’s visit to Ukraine was his first since the war began.

Russian state TV boasted that Shoigu would be making future visits to major cities including Kyiv, Odesa and Mykolaiv once they had been seized.

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He handed out medals for heroism and told troops: “I am confident in you.

“You have many more glorious deeds ahead of you for the benefit of our fatherland, the armed forces and the airborne troops.

“Congratulations. Take care of yourselves.”

Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which sits under the country’s Ministry of Culture recently claimed that Russia has lost 35,000 lives in the conflict.

Russia has only given an official toll of troops killed on two occasions, the last on March 25, with a figure of 1,351

However, experts have said this figure is way too low an estimate.

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