MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Ukraine’s S-300 air defense weapons system was destroyed by Russia’s missile troops, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told journalists on Sunday.

"Missile troops have eliminated the S-300 air defense weapons system," he noted.

According to the spokesman, over the past 24 hours, Russia’s aviation and air defense have also downed four Su-27 aircraft and one MiG-29 near Zhitomir, one Su-27 and one Su-25 aircraft near Radomyshl, one Su-25 aircraft near Nezhin and two Mi-8 helicopters near Kiev. In all, six drones have been eliminated over the past 24 hours, including one Bayraktar TB2.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported later that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons.