Russia targets Kyiv with drone and missile strikes
Two people were killed and at least 10 injured after Russia struck the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with drones and missiles overnight on Tuesday, local authorities said, reports BritPanorama.
The attack comes following a brief pause over the weekend as U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Kyiv for their first official visit in a renewed push to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Main targets of the overnight assault included Kyiv and the southern Odesa region. Ukrainian forces reported intercepting and suppressing two ballistic missiles, 31 cruise missiles, and 142 drones, with hits recorded in 29 locations, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as complex and deliberately designed to cause maximum damage, involving a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and Shahed drones. Significant destruction occurred to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv.
Strikes also impacted critical infrastructure across various regions. In Odesa, a regular market was struck, while in Kharkiv, two individuals were injured and a multistory building sustained damage. Additionally, the Sumy region experienced an attack on a train locomotive operating on the Kyiv-Sumy route at a railway station, with Zaporizhzhia and the Dnipropetrovsk regions also under fire.
Damage and fires were reported in at least five districts of the capital, as stated by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, with the Kyiv City Military Administration indicating damage to civilian infrastructure in at least 16 locations. A 26-story, non-residential building was affected in the Holosiivskyi district, where a fire ignited and spread to a nearby building. Rescuers reported saving one person and evacuating two from a 16-story residential structure.
Emergency responders also rescued individuals trapped in a five-story residential building in the Solomianskyi district, with at least 10 people saved. Fires were reported in Darnytskyi and Podilskyi districts, compounding the humanitarian impact of the strikes.
Kyiv resident Iryna Barisenkova, 61, recounted hearing explosions while using public transport, noting a significant fire near the Darnytskyi Vehicle Repair Plant area. “Everything was thundering on the left bank,” Barisenkova recounted. Highlighting the coinciding visit of U.S. officials, she expressed relief: “We got some rest, thanks to them. Let them come more often so they don’t shell us.”
The ongoing aggression from Russia underscores the precarious situation in Ukraine, highlighting the urgent need for diplomatic resolutions amidst continued military escalations.
