Russia claims to have hit Ukrainian hangars storing US-made M777 howitzers

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. 

The Russian defence ministry on Sunday (July 10) claimed that its forces have struck two Ukrainian army hangars storing US-produced M777 howitzers, which is a type of artillery weapon. The ministry said that the army hangars were near Kostantinovka in the Donetsk region. 

News agency Reuters cited the Russian ministry as saying that the US-made M777 howitzers had been used to shell residential areas of Donetsk. However, there was no confirmation from the Ukrainian side as the Ukrainian military spokespeople were not immediately available for comment. 

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In the face of Russian aggression, the Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw. 

The Western countries have also supplied advanced and high-precision weapons to Ukraine to counter Russia. On the other hand, Russia denies deliberately attacking civilians. 

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Luhansk and Donetsk provinces comprise the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region that has become Europe's biggest battlefield for generations. Russia wants to wrest control of the Donbas on behalf of the separatists that it supports. 

Moscow says ejecting the Ukrainian military out of the region is central to what it calls its "special military operation" to ensure its own security, an offensive that has lasted for more than four months and which the West calls an unprovoked war. 

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