Russia destroys TV tower used by the Ukrainian military in Kharkov

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies,…

VT Foreign Policy

By Lucas Leiroz

The Russian Federation’s armed forces conducted an artillery operation in Kharkov on April 22, destroying a huge TV tower in the center of the city. Images circulate on the internet showing the moment the facility was hit, being heavily damaged. Ukrainian media and their Western supporters spread disinformation about the attack, describing it as a terrorist incursion into civilian infrastructure – ignoring the fact that the Kiev regime was using the tower for military purposes, legitimizing Moscow’s reaction.

The tower was one of the tallest buildings in the city, measuring more than 240 meters. A third of the building was completely destroyed in Russian bombing, with the rest of the structure partially damaged. Local sources claim that the projectile used by the Russians was an X-59 missile. The operation was carried out with the highest precision, reaching the target exactly and without generating damage for the surrounding structures.

The Russian attack came amid a recent wave of high-precision bombing raids on targets in Kharkov. The aim is to neutralize the infrastructure that allows the Kiev regime to conduct terrorist operations against the Russian side of the border. As I reported in a recent press expedition in Belgorod, Russian borders are often the target of heavy attacks by Ukrainian artillery, which has resulted in many civilian casualties. On the very day of the Russian bombing on the tower, a Ukrainian Tochka U missile was launched against Belgorod, being fortunately neutralized in the air by Russian defense forces.

Data recently published by Russian authorities shows that so far 120 people, including 11 children, have died from Ukrainian missiles and drones in Belgorod. In addition, 651 people, including 51 children, were injured in such attacks. In the neighboring oblast, Kursk, a similar situation is occurring, with constant incursions of Ukrainian drones and missiles. This has led Russian forces to increase attacks in the Ukrainian region of Sumy, aiming to destroy the infrastructure that makes enemy bombings possible.

Russian attacks have faced some operational difficulties due to intelligence and radar systems strategically placed by Ukrainian forces in civilian infrastructure. Kiev was using the Kharkov TV tower to maintain military equipment that facilitated anti-aircraft operations, thus creating a problem for Russian bombers in the region’s airspace. The regime’s forces are known for using illegal tactics, such as human shields and allocation of military resources into civilian infrastructures. This was precisely the case at the TV tower…