(Casualty figures in Dnipro and Yekaterinburg updated)
KIEV (dpa-AFX) – A massive Russian air strike has left dead and injured and caused serious damage in Ukrainian cities. In addition to drones and ballistic missiles, cruise missiles were also used at night, according to Ukrainian air defense officials. Air alerts were raised in almost all parts of the country and the population was called upon to seek safety. The following morning, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported at least five dead and more than 30 injured.
Heavy explosions were reported in Kharkiv and Dnipro; The capital Kyiv and a number of other cities were also attacked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of five dead and more than 40 injured in Dnipro alone. 23 people are in hospital, he wrote on social media. Two people are still missing. Moscow’s military has been attacking with missiles and drones since the night. The attacks targeted ordinary residential buildings, energy supplies and civilian objects. Zelenskyj demanded that the pressure on Russia should not be eased. The Russian war of aggression should not be allowed to be pushed into the background by the Iran war.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian Tupolev Tu-95 bombers fired cruise missiles from a long distance over the Caspian Sea shortly after midnight local time. As they approached Ukraine, the Russian military launched drones and ballistic missiles in order to overload the Ukrainian air defense with this mix of weapons.
580 Russian drones intercepted
In its morning tally, the Ukrainian Air Force spoke of 619 enemy drones and 47 rockets and cruise missiles of various types. 580 drones were intercepted. Most of the Ch-101 cruise missiles and Kalibr ballistic missiles have been disabled. Ukraine has no effective means of combating Iskander-M surface-to-surface missiles.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than four years. The Russian military occupies almost a fifth of the neighboring country, and new air strikes are terrifying the Ukrainian population in particular.
Ukrainian drone attacks in the Urals
The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow said 127 attacking Ukrainian drones were intercepted during the night. Attacks were reported on the Volga region, but also far to the east on the cities of Perm and Yekaterinburg in the Urals. In Yekaterinburg, nine people sought medical help, said regional governor Denis Pasler. A woman was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. The people would not have any traumatic injuries. There was no information on military targets or industrial facilities attacked./cha/DP/he
