Putin nightmare after Ukraine wipes out key army HQ with eight Russian soldiers missing
The devastating attack was one of a number of setbacks suffered by Putin's army over a hellish 24 to 48-hour period in which missiles rained down on targets.
Ukraine wiped out a major Russian army headquarters in a surgical and lethal strike over the weekend. The devastating attack was one of a number of setbacks suffered by Putin's army over a nightmarish twenty-four to 48-hour period that saw missiles rain down on numerous targets.
Russia launched a surprise attack in early May in Ukraine's north east that initially resulted in rapid progress. Putin's troops quickly bore down on Vovchansk, located just 73 km from Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv.
However, Kyiv's army have mounted a fierce counterattack in recent days, pushing back Russian troops and inflicting huge casualties on their enemy.
Now in another massive blow for the Kremlin, the headquarters of Russia's 6th Combined Arms Army (CAA) fighting in the Kharkiv region was obliterated in a missile attack on Sunday evening.
Eight Russian officers are currently reported missing, and are presumed dead.
The army HQ was housed in a recreational building belonging to Belgorod University, located near the village of Shebekino, close to Ukraine's border.
A photo of the centre shows it almost completely in ruins following the deadly attack, suggesting a high casualty count.
Russian media reports say military intelligence had warned the 6th CAA a week before the attack that their headquarters was on a list of potential targets for Ukraine's air force.
In a further blow to the reputation of Putin's Navy, a Russian destroyer in the Barents Sea was reported to be on fire.
Don't miss...
Reform candidate's horrifying claim Britain would be 'better under the Nazis' [LATEST]
Horrifying Russian map reveals where Putin will send missiles as WW3 fears soar [NEWS]
Russian army in crisis as over 10,000 desert in major collapse of morale [SPOTLIGHT]
The Admiral Levchenko is part of the Kremlin's Northern Fleet and was originally commissioned back in 1988. The ship's engines are reported to have caught fire as a result of poor maintenance.
Dmitry Pletenchuk, a spokesman for Ukraine's Navy, said: "One of the engines caught fire.
"This happens when sanctions are imposed against a 'superpower', as a result of which the Russian Federation cannot independently service engines produced in Nikolaev."
He added that the ship is thought to have a crew of a couple hundred sailors. Nikolaev is a Ukrainian city renowned for its ship building industries that once produced engines for Russia's navy.
Ukraine's army also fired ten ATACMS missiles at air defence systems belonging to the Russian 31st Air Defence Division in Crimea.
The missiles wiped out a Russian S-400 air defence battery near Dzhankoi and two S-300 batteries near Chornomorske and Yevpatoria.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the missile strikes hit the radar stations of each battery and caused secondary ammunition detonations, adding that Russian air defences did not intercept any of the rockets.
