Russia Launches Dozens of Missiles at Kyiv in First Attack
Russia fires multiple missiles at Kyiv in initial strike after 44 days, resulting in injuries to 12 individuals, including a child. A 38-year-old man and an 11-year-old girl were taken to the hospital, while 8 others suffered minor injuries during the attack on Kyiv by Russia.
Officials reported that in the early hours of Thursday, Russia launched a total of 31 ballistic and cruise missiles towards Kyiv, marking the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days.
However, Kyiv’s robust air defenses successfully intercepted all of the incoming missiles, preventing any major damage. Unfortunately, 13 individuals, including a child, sustained injuries from falling wreckage. The missiles arrived simultaneously from various directions, causing loud explosions that startled the residents of Kyiv at approximately 5 a.m. Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Administration, confirmed these details.
Ukraine’s air force disclosed that the attack consisted of two ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles. Despite the intensity of the assault, Kyiv’s superior air defense systems have proven highly effective, significantly reducing the success rate of Russian attacks on the capital compared to the early stages of the conflict.
Among the injured, an 11-year-old girl and a 38-year-old man were hospitalized, while eight others sustained minor injuries. The city administration, led by Mayor Vitali Klitschko, provided this information. Additionally, Ukraine’s Emergency Service evacuated approximately 80 individuals from their homes as a precautionary measure.
The wreckage from the intercepted missiles caused a fire in one apartment building, damaged parked cars, and created craters in the streets and a nearby park. Debris, including shattered glass from windows, cluttered some of the affected streets.
The assault occurred following multiple recent aerial attacks by Ukraine on Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine. According to Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov, five individuals were wounded in the most recent attack on the Belgorod region on Thursday, which resulted in damage to residences and the city’s sports stadium. Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported intercepting 10 rockets over the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had issued a warning on Wednesday to “retaliate in kind” against the assaults.
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During an event at the Kremlin, Putin stated that Russia “can respond in a similar manner with respect to civilian infrastructure and all other similar objects that the enemy targets. We have our own stance on this issue and our own strategies. We will adhere to what we have planned.”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western allies of the country to provide additional air defense systems so they can be deployed across the nation where missile attacks have become more frequent.
“Every day, every night such … terror occurs,” he stated on Telegram following Thursday’s attack on Kyiv. “Global unity can put an end to it by supporting us with more air defense systems.”
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Zelenskyy mentioned that Russia lacks missiles that can bypass U.S.-made Patriots and other sophisticated air defense weaponry.
Russia has shifted its focus to other Ukrainian cities, using drones and ballistic missiles to target them.
Last Wednesday, Russia missiles attack resulted in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to nine in the eastern Kharkiv region, while an attack on southern Odesa last week led to 21 fatalities.