Russian strikes hit Kyiv for third time in under a week
The attack came as NATO leaders met in Ankara, where Ukraine is seeking more air-defence support after renewed Russian strikes.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Russian missiles hit Kyiv early Wednesday in the third large-scale assault on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week, AFP and Reuters reported. The attack came as NATO leaders met in Ankara, where Ukraine is seeking more help for its air defences after an escalation in Russian strikes.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the strikes had started fires in two districts of the city. AFP and Reuters reported that casualties and the scale of damage were not immediately clear.
Kyiv was also hit by Russia on Monday in a large-scale attack that killed at least 14 people and damaged a dozen buildings, according to AFP and Reuters. The latest strike adds to a series of attacks on the capital during the same week as NATO’s annual summit.
AFP and Reuters reported that both Russia and Ukraine have increased their use of long-range weapons, including missiles, in the four-year war. Ukraine has targeted Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to weaken Moscow’s war effort, according to the agencies.
Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday that Ukrainian drones had struck eight sanctioned vessels in the Sea of Azov that were part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and were delivering fuel to Crimea. The military said each vessel had a deadweight of about 7,000 metric tons, and AFP and Reuters reported that two more tankers were hit later in the day.
The Sea of Azov is an important supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and other occupied areas of southern Ukraine, according to AFP and Reuters. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, a move not internationally recognised, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow has not publicly commented on this week’s Ukrainian attacks, AFP and Reuters reported. Those attacks also included strikes on electrical substations, radar systems and missile installations, according to the agencies.
NATO leaders opened a two-day summit in Turkey’s capital on Tuesday, with defence spending and the war in Ukraine on the agenda, AFP and Reuters reported. The alliance is expected to pledge additional military support for Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for stronger air defences.
Zelenskyy, who has renewed his push for Ukraine to join NATO, wrote on social media Tuesday that he had signed agreements in Ankara with Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark. He said the deals would create “new opportunities for joint production, the development of innovative defense technologies, systematic exchange of expertise, and the export of Ukrainian battlefield-proven solutions”.
Further agreements are expected with Germany, Norway, Finland and Canada, according to AFP and Reuters. US President Donald Trump is also expected to meet Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the gathering.
Asked about the war, Trump said he hoped it would be settled “soon”, according to AFP and Reuters. “I think they both want to make a deal,” Trump said. “It’s too bad it took so long, but I think something’s going to come out.”
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.