Kyiv, March 11 : Ukraine’s Air Force has said it has hit 10 Russian warplanes and destroyed two large armoury convoys, even as President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Moscow for starting a propaganda war against Kyiv with sanctions by the West starting to choke Vladimir Putin’s administration from all sides. In a statement issued by the air force, it said that Su-25 jets and a Su-34 were hit. One of the warplanes was shot down by a Stinger man-portable missile. Ukraine, however, provided no details about the targets’ location. Russia’s military has not commented on the report, which BBC said could not be verified independently. A CNN report said satellite images showed a 64-km-long Russian convoy stalled near Kyiv has largely dispersed. The images taken on March 10 showed the Russian military convoy northwest of Kyiv has “largely dispersed and redeployed,” Maxar Technologies said. Some parts of the convoy have “repositioned” in forests, while others have been seen sitting on roadways in residential areas. All this came in the backdrop of major strides by Ukraine in Versailles where another meeting was held on its integration into the EU. “After five hours of heated discussions EU leaders said yes to Ukrainian eurointegration,” tweeted President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda. The US though made it clear once more it will not send Patriot defense systems to Ukraine, even as Kyiv turned in to a fort with Russian tanks at its doorstep.. A senior US defence official told reporters on Thursday that there was no talk at the Pentagon on sending Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to Ukraine, as they would require US troops on the ground to operate them. The Russian invasion coming less than a year after the US removed its troops out of the Afghan soil, the Pentagon official said: “We have made (it) very clear, there will be no US troops fighting in Ukraine,” the official said. Meanwhile, Zelensky slammed Russian claims that Ukraine was developing chemical or biological weapons on its territory with US help. “Allegedly, we are preparing a chemical attack,” he says in a video address. “This makes me really worried, because we’ve been repeatedly convinced: if you want to know Russia’s plans, look at what Russia accuses others of (doing). What are these allegations of preparing chemical attacks?” he said. “Have you decided to carry out ‘de-chemicalisation’ of Ukraine? Using ammonia? Using phosphorus? What else have you prepared for us? No chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction were developed on my land,” he added. As Mariupol and Volnovakha continued to “remain completely blocked”, Zelensky claimed Ukrainian forces have helped in major evacuations and managing to deliver vital aid, including food and medicine, to cities under attack. ING VP
