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Russia launches wave of drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, numerous casualties reported

Source: Meduza

This story is being updated.

Russian forces launched an overnight wave of drone and missile strikes on Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia used 35 Shahed drones in the attack, all of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. The Russian Armed Forces also carried out several missile strikes, reportedly using Tu-95 strategic bombers and MiG-31 fighter jets, which carry Kinzhal missiles. Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia launched Kinzhal missiles at Kyiv. The Ukrainian authorities declared an air raid alert across the country.

According to the latest reports from Ukrainian officials, five people were killed and more than 100 people were injured.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday morning that Russian troops were targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. “For the third day now, our air defense soldiers have been doing incredible work. Since December 31, Russian barbarians have used about 170 Shaheds and dozens of missiles of various types. The absolute majority of them were directed at civilian objects,” he said.

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that Russia used 99 missiles in the attack. According to him, 16 Tu-95 strategic bombers launched at least 70 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, and MiG-31 fighter jets fired ten Kinzhal missiles. The Russian Armed Forces also used Kalibr cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and Kh-31P anti-radar missiles. Zaluzhnyi said that Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 72 missiles: all 10 Kinzhal missiles, 59 of the 70 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, and all three Kalibr cruise missiles.

Kyiv

Kyiv City Military Administration Head Serhiy Popko said that Russia initially attacked Kyiv with about 15 Shahed drones, then Tu-95 strategic bombers launched waves of Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles while MiG-31 fighter jets attacked the city with Kinzhal missiles. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, air defense forces destroyed 13 Shahed drones and 61 missiles.

Two people were killed and 49 people were injured in the attack, according to the latest reports from Ukrainian authorities. All of them were injured in a missile strike on an apartment building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district. Most of the victims were hospitalized.

A drone fragment fell in an open area in Kyiv’s Desnianskyi district, reported Klitschko. He added that a supermarket in the district caught on fire. A missile strike in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district started fires in two apartment buildings, trapping people inside, said Popko. He reported that missile debris fell on the roofs of two apartment buildings in Kyiv’s Pecherskyi district, as well as on open areas and non-residential buildings in other districts.

A gas pipeline and an infrastructure facility in the Podilskyi district were damaged, as well as a water supply system. Fires broke out in a warehouse, a market, and a residential building. Debris also fell on a warehouse in the Obolonskyi district, Popko reported. Klitschko said that an infrastructure facility in the Sviatoshynskyi district was hit. Ukrainian media reported that there was a fire at a Tesla car dealership, but this is still unconfirmed. During the attack, fragments of a Russian missile reportedly fell near the U.S. Embassy. Additionally, a lioness in the Kyiv Animal Rescue Center suffered a serious concussion during the morning strikes.

In some areas of Kyiv, there were temporary problems with water supply, Klitschko reported. (By midday the water supply had been restored.) There are also power outages across the region. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said that an overhead line in Kyiv was damaged in the attack, leaving several substations without power.

The Kyiv region

In the Kyiv region, the Boryspil, Bucha, and Fastiv districts were hit, according to Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry. The attack damaged residential buildings and over 70 vehicles.

The latest reports from the region indicate that two people were killed and 16 were injured, including one child.

Kharkiv

Russian troops launched strikes on the center of Kharkiv at around 7:30 a.m. local time, reported Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov. The strikes particularly targeted Kharkiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, where four hits were recorded. Syniehubov said that, according to preliminary data, Russia attacked Kharkiv with Kinzhal missiles as well as anti-aircraft missiles fired from S-300 systems. A total of six missiles were launched at the city.

Authorities said that multiple apartment buildings, utility buildings, and civil infrastructure facilities were damaged and caught fire. Several vehicles also burned.

According to the latest reports from Kharkiv, a 91-year-old resident was killed and 50 people were injured in the attack, including six children.

Other parts of Ukraine

Explosions were also heard in Kropyvnytskyi in Ukraine’s Kirovohrad region, wrote Ukrainian outlet Suspilne. Governor Andriy Raikovich said that air defenses shot down a missile over Kropyvnytskyi, and debris fell into a yard. He added that no one was injured in the incident. Ukrainian media reported that there was an explosion in Sumy, but the exact cause is still unknown.

Russia’s commentary on the attack

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Russian Armed Forces carried out a coordinated strike on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex facilities using “high-precision long-range weapons” and drones.

According to the ministry, the strikes were aimed at missile production, drone manufacturing, and military equipment repair facilities, as well as storage sites for weapons Ukraine has received from Western countries.

“The objective of the strike has been achieved. All targets were hit,” wrote the Russian Defense Ministry.