Russia bombards Ukraine with missile and drone barrage

Another barrage of missile attacks on Kiev came hours after Russia conducted a second day of overnight attacks on other targets including the capital and an air base in western Ukraine.

“Only six hours after the night attack, the aggressor country launched another missile attack on Kiev,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kiev’s military administration, said on Monday.

Popko said the attacks were aimed at “depleting the resources of our air defense”, as Kiev prepared to launch a counteroffensive to capture the eastern and southern regions, which account for 18 percent of Ukraine’s territory. The strikes came as a Russian official said artillery strikes hit several targets in an area bordering northeast Ukraine.

“The attacks on Kiev continue. Don’t leave the shelters! Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media. He said rescue workers and fire services were at several places where rocket fragments had fallen, including a road in Kiev’s northern Obolon district. Surface-to-air defense missiles were seen intercepting incoming aerial projectiles over the city of Kiev.

The extent of damage and casualties from the latest barrages were not immediately clear. But Ukraine’s air force, which is increasingly equipped with NATO-grade air defense systems provided by Western backers, said it had intercepted 40 Russian missiles fired overnight at the country and 37 supplied by Iran. shot down 29 of the “kamikaze” drones.

“We are waiting for another reinforcement from our partners of new air defense systems,” said Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force.

General Valery Zaluzny, commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, said Russia fired 11 missiles on Monday afternoon, but “all targets were destroyed by Ukraine’s air defense forces”. Earlier, officials in the Khmelnitsky region west of Kiev said an airstrike damaged five planes and an airstrip.

The strikes came a day after Ukraine’s air force said it had intercepted 58 of 59 drones fired early Sunday, including 40 targeting the capital, as civilians in the city of Kiev were ready to celebrate the establishment of

Russia’s defense ministry has said in recent days that its forces have hit several military targets, but did not mention attacks in Kiev and other areas far from the front line. Such attacks have been a feature of Russia’s air campaign since autumn.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has launched several cross-border attacks targeting Russian infrastructure in recent weeks, raising tensions about the effects of an invasion launched by President Vladimir Putin 15 months ago.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Monday that Ukrainian artillery had knocked out electricity, damaged two industrial sites and wounded four people.

The Belgorod region, about 50 km from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has become a focal point for concerns about Kiev’s ability to strike inside Russian territory. Ukraine does not admit to carrying out such attacks but has celebrated it.

Gladkov, who made rare criticism of Russia’s defense ministry last week after far-right Russian partisans from two Ukraine-backed groups raided the region, said the border had been unsafe for some time.

“We really are living in a state of war. . . it is happening. The enemy is infiltrating.

Gladkov said the best way to stop the shelling was to annex the Kharkiv region to Russia – an unlikely possibility after Ukraine pulled Russia’s forces out of the region in September.

Oleg Sinegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said on social media that the Russian army had attacked a village called Kivsharivka on Monday with Iskander missiles, injuring five people.

Additional reporting by Christopher Miller in Kiev

Another barrage of missile attacks on Kiev came hours after Russia conducted a second day of overnight attacks on other targets including the capital and an air base in western Ukraine.

“Only six hours after the night attack, the aggressor country launched another missile attack on Kiev,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kiev’s military administration, said on Monday.

Popko said the attacks were aimed at “depleting the resources of our air defense”, as Kiev prepared to launch a counteroffensive to capture the eastern and southern regions, which account for 18 percent of Ukraine’s territory. The strikes came as a Russian official said artillery strikes hit several targets in an area bordering northeast Ukraine.

“The attacks on Kiev continue. Don’t leave the shelters! Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media. He said rescue workers and fire services were at several places where rocket fragments had fallen, including a road in Kiev’s northern Obolon district. Surface-to-air defense missiles were seen intercepting incoming aerial projectiles over the city of Kiev.

The extent of damage and casualties from the latest barrages were not immediately clear. But Ukraine’s air force, which is increasingly equipped with NATO-grade air defense systems provided by Western backers, said it had intercepted 40 Russian missiles fired overnight at the country and 37 supplied by Iran. shot down 29 of the “kamikaze” drones.

“We are waiting for another reinforcement from our partners of new air defense systems,” said Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force.

General Valery Zaluzny, commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, said Russia fired 11 missiles on Monday afternoon, but “all targets were destroyed by Ukraine’s air defense forces”. Earlier, officials in the Khmelnitsky region west of Kiev said an airstrike damaged five planes and an airstrip.

The strikes came a day after Ukraine’s air force said it had intercepted 58 of 59 drones fired early Sunday, including 40 targeting the capital, as civilians in the city of Kiev were ready to celebrate the establishment of

Russia’s defense ministry has said in recent days that its forces have hit several military targets, but did not mention attacks in Kiev and other areas far from the front line. Such attacks have been a feature of Russia’s air campaign since autumn.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has launched several cross-border attacks targeting Russian infrastructure in recent weeks, raising tensions about the effects of an invasion launched by President Vladimir Putin 15 months ago.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Monday that Ukrainian artillery had knocked out electricity, damaged two industrial sites and wounded four people.

The Belgorod region, about 50 km from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has become a focal point for concerns about Kiev’s ability to strike inside Russian territory. Ukraine does not admit to carrying out such attacks but has celebrated it.

Gladkov, who made rare criticism of Russia’s defense ministry last week after far-right Russian partisans from two Ukraine-backed groups raided the region, said the border had been unsafe for some time.

“We really are living in a state of war. . . it is happening. The enemy is infiltrating.

Gladkov said the best way to stop the shelling was to annex the Kharkiv region to Russia – an unlikely possibility after Ukraine pulled Russia’s forces out of the region in September.

Oleg Sinegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said on social media that the Russian army had attacked a village called Kivsharivka on Monday with Iskander missiles, injuring five people.

Additional reporting by Christopher Miller in Kiev