Russia launches ‘exceptional’ air attack in Kyiv with drones, missiles
It was the eighth time this month that Russian air raids had targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Ukrainian air defenses thwarted an intense Russian air attack on
Kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all 18 missiles aimed at the capital.
Loud explosions boomed over Kyiv as the nighttime attack
combined Russian missiles launched from the air, sea and land in an apparent
attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. No casualties were reported.
Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv
was “exceptional in its density — the maximum number of attacking missiles in
the shortest period of time,” said Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv military
administration. The British ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, tweeted that the barrage was “pretty
intense.” “Bangs and shaking walls are not an easy night,” she wrote.
It was the eighth time this month that Russian air raids had
targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a
much-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive. It also came as President
Volodymyr Zelenksyy concluded a whirlwind European tour to greet Ukraine’s key
wartime allies, which spurred an additional tranche of pledged military aid.
Ukraine’s Air Force said 18 missiles of various types were
launched, including drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. All were
intercepted, said Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. Six “Kinzhal” aero-ballistic
missiles were launched from MiG-31K aircraft, nine cruise missiles from ships
in the Black Sea and three land-based S-400 cruise
missiles targeted the capital, Ihnat said in a statement on Telegram.
After the first onslaught, Russia also launched Iranian-made
Shahed attack drones and conducted aerial reconnaissance, Ihnat said. Debris
fell across several districts in the capital. In the Solomyansky district,
starting a fire in a non-residential building.
Debris set cars on fire and fell on the grounds of a zoo, but no
losses were reported, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The barrage came as
European leaders were due to attend a rare summit of the 46-nation Council of
Europe, the continent’s main human rights body.
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