Deadly early morning attacks struck Kyiv and other cities, resulting in the deaths of at least three civilians. Ukraine’s authorities reported that Russia used cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as Shahed-type drones, to target various locations in Ukraine, leading to the deaths of at least three civilians and causing injuries to over 10 people.
According to Ukrainian military reports, Russia aimed at least three major cities and launched a total of 64 drones and missiles, 44 of which were intercepted.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed two fatalities in the capital, Kyiv, and one in Mykolaiv in the southern part of the country.
In a statement, he described the attack as “another massive assault against our state,” revealing that six regions had been targeted and that efforts were underway to address the resulting damage.
In Mykolaiv, numerous residences were destroyed, and more than ten individuals were injured.
Power outages occurred in parts of Kyiv due to damage to high-voltage cables, and people were left trapped under debris, as reported by the president.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitalii Klitschko, stated that 13 individuals, including a pregnant woman, sustained injuries in the city. He also mentioned that apartment buildings in multiple districts of Kyiv had caught fire.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Senkevich, the mayor of Mykolaiv, highlighted that the attack had caused significant damage, including the collapse of roofs on 20 houses and the destruction of gas and water pipelines, resulting in the death of one individual.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a 52-year-old woman suffered minor injuries in an S-300 missile attack, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
The repercussions of the attack were felt as far as the Lviv region in western Ukraine, where a fire broke out, according to officials.
Visit from Borrell
Following the attacks in Kyiv, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, sought refuge in an air raid shelter at his hotel, as reported by the AFP news agency.
Borrell’s visit aimed to reaffirm the bloc’s unwavering support for Ukraine as the war approaches its third year. Last week, all 27 EU countries approved an additional aid package of 50 billion euros ($54 billion) for Ukraine. Given Ukraine’s struggle with ammunition and personnel shortages, Western assistance is crucial.
Despite the front line remaining relatively unchanged over recent months, Russian forces maintain superiority in supplies of missiles and artillery ammunition used for long-range attacks.
The recent wave of attacks aligns with a pattern of targeting civilians and critical infrastructure. Vadym Filashkin, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, revealed that Russia was launching between 1,500 and 2,500 shells and missiles daily at the area.
Furthermore, he emphasized that Russia had deployed 200 guided aerial bombs on the front-line town of Avdiivka over the past month, leading to its “total destruction” and a significant decline in population from 32,000 before the war to fewer than 1,000, according to local officials.
