Russia: 79 Ukranian Military Targets Destroyed over Past Day

79 Ukrainian military targets have been destroyed by Russian armed forces over the past 24 hours, according to Russian Defense Ministry. 

In a statement, published by "Sputnik" news agency, the Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the targets that were bombed include four command posts and communication centers of the Ukrainian Military, two surface-to-air missiles (SAM) systems, 3 multiple rocket launchers, 79 radar stations, and 54 armored combat vehicles.

Earlier today, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held on Saturday phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the situation in Ukraine, Elysee Palace said in a statement.

The phone conversation lasted for an hour and a half, the statement added.

During the phone call, Macron and Scholz called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.

On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 3,346 military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.

The ministry said that four command centers, 63 weapons depots, and three air defense systems were destroyed, and three Ukrainian drones were shot down during today’s operations.

The ministry added that in the course of successful offensive operations against the Ukrainian nationalists, the Russian army captured a large number of MANPADS.

The ministry added, 82 targets belonging to the Ukrainian army were destroyed in one day.

On the ground, the Russian military operation in Ukraine continues for the 16th consecutive day, since it began on February 24.

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict gained a new turning point on February 21, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics of Ukraine, in an escalatory step that drew great anger from Kyiv and its Western allies.

In the wake of this, the Russian forces began, at dawn on Thursday, February 24, to launch a military operation in eastern Ukraine, which opened the door to the possibility of the outbreak of a “third world war”, which would be the first in the twenty-first century.