Ukraine: Russia attacks Kiev with rocket attacks

Russia has continued its night-long series of heavy air strikes on Ukraine, once again causing deaths, injuries and destruction. On Tuesday night, the capital Kiev was particularly affected, which, according to the Ukrainian military, was attacked in several waves with drones, cruise missiles and rockets.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that two people had died. A fire broke out in a high-rise building. According to information from Tuesday afternoon, 49 people were injured there alone. Many had to be treated in hospital. Another destination was the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. According to civil protection, one man was killed there and 53 people were injured.

In the Russian city of Belgorod, across the border, authorities reported that one man was killed and five people were injured. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov cited shelling by the Ukrainian army as the reason.

Series of major Russian attacks on Ukraine

Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for almost two years. With the series of heavy night bombings from the air since before the New Year, the Russian army is demonstrating that it can shell every corner of the neighboring country. The large-scale attacks are intended to simultaneously overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and disable them.

On Tuesday night, Russia deployed 99 rockets and cruise missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said. According to this, 16 Tu-95MS bomber aircraft launched at least 70 cruise missiles in one burst. 59 of them were intercepted. In another wave, MiG-31 fighter jets launched ten of the particularly dangerous Kinschal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles, all of which were intercepted, according to the Ukrainian military.

In addition, Russian ships fired Kalibr cruise missiles in the Black Sea; There were also attacks from land using ballistic missiles. The night-time bombardment began with 35 Shahed combat drones. They were all intercepted, it was said. The Ukrainian army’s numbers cannot be independently verified.

Residents of Kyiv in air raid shelters

In Kiev, there was damage and fires in eight of the ten city districts – mainly due to falling rocket debris. A gas pipe was also hit. The power went out in some parts. There were also problems with the water supply. The capital is still in shock from the worst air raid to date last Friday, in which around 30 people were killed there alone.

Because of the increased Russian air strikes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the world to send new weapons. Specifically, new anti-aircraft systems including ammunition, combat drones of all kinds and missiles with a range of over 300 kilometers are required, he wrote on the online service X (formerly Twitter).

Deaths and damage also in Russia

During the air strike on Ukraine, a Russian missile accidentally hit a Russian village in the Voronezh border region, according to civilian authorities. As a result, seven farms were damaged, wrote Governor Alexander Gusev on Telegram. Gusev spoke of the “accidental release” of the bullet.

There was a temporary missile alarm again on Tuesday in the Russian city of Belgorod near the border. The anti-aircraft defense intercepted eight incoming Ukrainian projectiles, Governor Gladkov wrote on Telegram. According to authorities, 24 civilians were killed in Belgorod on Saturday – it was the largest such loss for Russia in almost two years of war.

Poland launches fighter jets

In Poland, an EU and NATO country, the air strikes against its neighbor Ukraine were closely monitored. For security purposes, two F-16 fighter jets each from the Polish and American Air Forces took off in the morning, the armed forces said. Only on Friday, according to the Polish General Staff, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace for three minutes.