Russian Defense Ministry warns of provocations for Orthodox Easter in Ukraine

MOSCOW

 The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Monday that the Ukrainian special services are planning to shell Orthodox churches and temples on Easter night, Saturday.

As part of measures against possible provocations, over 70 mobile groups in vehicles equipped with mortars are formed in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions, the ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing in Moscow.

Konashenkov added that the Russian army continued striking Ukraine's military infrastructure on Sunday night and hit 16 military objects with high-precision air-based missiles, in addition to five command points, one fuel storage, and three ammunition depots.

The Russian Aerospace Forces struck 108 areas of concentration of personnel and Ukrainian military equipment, including eight tanks and other armored vehicles, while an unmanned aerial vehicle of Ukraine was shot down by an air-to-air missile in the Buda area, he noted.

The Strategic Rocket Forces struck with high-precision ground-based Iskander missiles four ammunition and military equipment depots, as well as three areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower, the spokesman added.

The artillery hit 315 objects of Ukraine's military infrastructure, including 18 control points, 22 artillery batteries, the OSA-AKM air defense system, as well as 275 strong points.

The Russian air defense systems downed Ukraine's three fighter jets, two MiG-29, and one Su-25, as well as 11 unmanned aerial vehicles, and intercepted 10 large-caliber rockets fired by Ukrainian multiple rocket launchers, Konashenkov said.

"In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 139 aircraft and 483 unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed, (along with) 250 air defense systems, 2,326 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 254 multiple rocket launchers, 1,004 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 2,184 units of special military vehicles," the spokesman said.

At least 1,982 civilians have been killed and 2,651 injured in Ukraine so far in the war, according to UN estimates, with the true figure believed to be much higher.

More than 4.9 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.