Russia claims it struck Western arms being transported in Ukraine by rail

Russia on Friday (Apr 26) said that it had used missiles and artillery to target railway infrastructure and Western arms being transported by rail in Ukraine.

Moscow's defence ministry said that its forces had hit "Western weapons and military equipment" being transported by railway a day earlier in the Donetsk region. The ministry added that Russia also targeted railway facilities in the Kharkiv region.

The development comes after United States President Joe Biden earlier this week signed legislation authorising military aid for Ukraine for its fight against Russia. Biden said that Washington would start sending military aid to the war-torn nation within hours.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The US president signed the bill into law after the US Senate voted on Tuesday to approve $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.The bill was passed after months of delay that saw Ukrainian forces run short of ammunition. Kyiv claimed that it was in desperate need of military aid amid Russian aggression.

Russia's account was confirmed by a Kyiv intelligence source on Friday that Moscow is targeting Ukrainian rail lines with airstrikes to disrupt the delivery of desperately needed US weapons to the front and complicate military logistics.

The national rail company said on Thursday that the Ukrainian rail infrastructure was targeted by Russian strikes in the eastern Donetsk region, northeastern Kharkiv region and central Cherkasy region.

It said that the attack in Donetsk killed three electrical mechanics working for the railway company and wounded four more. Donetsk is the main focus of Russia's offensive in the east.

Watch:Vladimir Putin announces he will visit China next month

Zelensky calls for air defence systems

Amid Russian advances, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called for additional air defence systems to be sent to Kyiv in its fight against Moscow.

At the start of a virtual meeting led by the United States on helping arm Ukraine, Zelensky said, "This year, Russian jets (have) already used more than 9,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine and we need the ability to shoot down the air combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders."

"While we were waiting for a decision on the American support, the Russian army managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield," Zelensky said.

"We can still now, not only stabilize the front but also move forward achieving our Ukrainian goals in the war," he added.

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

(With inputs from agencies)