This was not the day Vladimir Putin would have wanted.
Russia Day was marred by an onslaught of military strikes on key infrastructure.
The annual event, marked on June 12, is a national holiday celebrating the birthday of contemporary Russia.
The Tolyattikauchuck petrochemical plant was attacked overnight while the Taneko oil refinery in Nizhekamsk, Tatarstan, was also struck.
All mass celebration events were cancelled because of this and major airports were forced to impose restrictions.
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It’s further humiliation for the Russian president, who’s facing the specter of losing access of occupied Crimea.
Its lucrative tourism business is facing collapse after widespread fuel and power shortages, and panic buying.
In one other blow, Ukraine destroyed a £20,000,000 Russia Tor surface-to-air missile system within the Kursk region.
It also claims to have ‘completely paralysed’ a key logistical route for Russian forces by striking the Armiansk bridge, which connects occupied Crimea with mainland Russia.
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, said Crimea will probably be ‘isolated’ within the near future.
Despite the success for Ukraine, it’s emerged Russia is constructing a brand new military base near the Finnish border for the primary time for the reason that Soviet era.
Satellite images show work is underway on a dozen barracks 100 miles from the border with Finland, which is a Nato member.
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