🇷🇺🇺🇦 Statement by Russian Defence Ministry

▫️On the night of March, 18, the residential areas of Melitopol were attacked by Tochka-U cluster-warhead missiles from a territory controlled by the Kiev nationalist regime.

▫️The Russian air defence systems have repelled the missile launched against the civilian population of the city.

▫️The attack had been launched from the northern direction, south-eastern outskirts of Zaporozhie that is fully controlled by the Ukrainian nationalist units.

▫️The Russian Federation Armed Forces have detected the coordinates of the Ukrainian ballistic missiles.

▫️In order to prevent missile attacks and to protect the Ukrainian citizens against new attacks of the Kiev nationalist regime, the rocket launchers of the Ukrainian nationalists have been destroyed by two Iskander missiles.

▫️It should be emphasised that Melitopol is in ordinary conditions. Shops and public transport are in operation. Every day the Russian servicemen deliver humanitarian aid that has repeatedly been told and shown by mass media representatives.

▫️The subsequent application of ballistic missiles against civilian residents by the Kiev regime whose representatives knew about the absence of Russian Armed Forces firing positions in residential areas of Melitopol proves the criminal nature of the nationalist leadership of Ukraine.

Source - MoD Russia