Kyiv missile and drone attack wounds at least 11 civilians
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at Kyiv, damaging infrastructure and setting fires across the capital.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Russian missiles and drones hit several parts of Kyiv overnight Saturday, wounding at least 11 civilians and damaging infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. The attack underscored the pressure on Ukraine’s air defences as Kyiv waits for more Western military support, Al Jazeera reported.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that an 11-year-old boy was among the wounded. Four people needed hospital treatment, he said.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched six Iskander-M or S-400 ballistic missiles from the Bryansk region, along with six tactical cruise missiles and 121 drones. Ukrainian defenders shot down 111 drones and two cruise missiles, the Air Force said, while all six ballistic missiles got through.
Euromaidan Press, a local news outlet, reported that explosions were heard in central Kyiv at 3:38am local time, nearly two minutes before city air raid sirens began at 3:40am. The report said that left residents with almost no warning before the strikes.
Fires reported in several districts
Klitschko said a transformer substation was burning in the Darnytskyi district and a three-storey office building was on fire in the Solomianskyi district. Emergency services images showed firefighters working at a warehouse damaged in the attack, according to Al Jazeera.
Ukrainska Pravda reported that a railway locomotive was badly damaged by a blast wave. The newspaper also said nearby commercial warehouses and a pharmacy sustained serious structural damage.
Outside Kyiv, emergency crews used fire trains to fight a blaze at a regional infrastructure facility, Ukrainska Pravda reported. The fire covered about 4,000 square metres, or 4,800 square yards, according to the report.
Domestic media reported that Ukrainian air defence crews have been operating Patriot missile systems manually to preserve limited interceptor stocks, Al Jazeera said. The report linked the pressure on defences to a recent rise in Russian aerial attacks against the capital.
Wider Russian campaign
The Ukrainian Air Force said the latest nationwide Russian missile and drone attack hit at least 11 infrastructure sites across Ukraine. It did not identify all of the affected locations in the account cited by Al Jazeera.
Local authorities have compiled data showing that Russian attacks in Kyiv and the surrounding metropolitan area have killed more than 60 people since the start of July, Al Jazeera reported. The weekend strike followed several recent attacks on the Ukrainian capital earlier in the month.
Russia has repeatedly used combinations of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones in attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials cited by Al Jazeera. Kyiv’s latest casualty count remained at at least 11 civilians wounded as of the reports published Saturday.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.