As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continued to keep the region on edge, diplomatic unease seems to have emerged as Moscow on Saturday demanded explanations from the US and Turkey over reports of a potential transfer of substantial US weapons held by Turkey to Kyiv.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, said that Russia has sought an explanation from both countries, the US and Turkey, over the reports of possible plans to transfer to Kyiv a "substantial arsenal" of US weapons and ammunition held by Turkey, as reported by Reuters.
The spokeswoman said in a statement that the transfer would cause harm to their bilateral ties.
Such a transfer would cause "serious harm … to our bilateral relations with Washington and Ankara," the spokeswoman said.
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Simultaneously, the Russia-Ukraine war flared up as Kyiv reportedly stepped up its long-range aerial attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities.
According a report by AP, a Russian official said that Ukrainian forces executed a large-scale strike against industrial infrastructure in Russia’s southwestern Samara region.
Ivan Noskov, head of the city of Samara, confirmed that air defense units repelled a "massive" missile barrage that caused "localized damage" to industrial sites and left several individuals injured.
A large-scale Ukrainian attack struck industrial infrastructure in Russia’s southwestern Samara region Saturday, a Russian official said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on social media, stated that the attack struck the Samara Progress Center, a facility operating under Russia's space agency Roscosmos.
"In Russia’s Samara region, one of the key enterprises within Roscosmos – the Progress Center, which was involved, among other things, in electronics production – was hit. Flamingo missiles were used. A good achievement," he posted on X.
The Ukrainian leader said Russia's Savasleyka air base, around 700 kilometers from the front line, was also struck.
"The distance from our border is about 900 kilometers. Our long-range sanctions also reached the Savasleyka airbase, where the carriers of Russian missiles that strike our cities and villages are based – about 700 kilometers from Ukraine. We also have confirmation of the damage we were aiming to inflict at an oil facility in Ust-Luga – more than 800 kilometers from our border," he added.
“Peace is needed, and this must be evident in Russia – through concrete damage to specific facilities,” Zelenskyy also noted.
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