(MENAFN) Russian troops have struck Ukraine’s military-industrial sector using long-distance weaponry, including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, according to the Defense Ministry on Friday.

The ministry indicated that the offensive was carried out in retaliation for “Ukrainian terrorist attacks targeting civilians in Russia” and marked the fifth such operation this week.

In the last five days, Moscow has targeted arms factories, power plants supplying those facilities, transportation networks supporting the Ukrainian military, military airfields, drone storage sites, and field camps, the statement said.

Kyiv has increasingly relied on long-range kamikaze drone attacks against Russian oil refineries as a core element of its war strategy.

The Ukrainian authorities aim to deploy additional long-range missiles, which are costlier but capable of delivering larger warheads than fixed-wing unmanned aircraft.

Earlier in the day, Vladimir Zelensky shared a video claiming the launch of a “long Neptune” – a domestically-produced missile with extended range.

However, Ukraine’s approach encountered a hurdle this week when Western-funded anti-corruption investigators accused Timur Mindich, a long-time associate of Zelensky who previously collaborated with him in the entertainment sector, of corruption connected to an alleged bribery scheme at the state-owned nuclear enterprise Energoatom.

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