A pregnant woman and her husband were killed in the Russian attacks on Kiev. Their bodies were found under the rubble of a residential block destroyed by the Russians. There were also casualties in other parts of the country. At least four people have been killed in the eastern Sumy region. According to the Ukrainian authorities, dozens of drones were used to attack targets.
Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko speaks of 28 drones targeting Kiev forests. Five of them hit the target, the other attacks could be averted. Footage has circulated on Twitter of officers shooting down a drone in the capital. The video was shared by an adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior.
Also watch: Ukrainian police protect Kiev from kamikazedrones
According to Andriy Yermak, chief of office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kiev would have been hit by “kamikazedrones”, unmanned single-use devices that are lost during deployment. A journalist from the French news agency AFP saw a drone strike a building in the Ukrainian capital as two police officers tried to shoot down the plane with their service weapons. Then there were loud explosions.
six months pregnant
The pregnant woman and her husband were killed when their residential building was hit by the Russians. According to reports on Twitter, it was a young couple who were expecting their baby in three months. An old woman was also found dead from under the rubble. A total of four people died in the attack. Several others were rescued alive from the debris. In addition to the residential building, energy supplies have also been affected in Kiev.
The affected residential area on the northwest side of the center was also hit by Russian air raids a week ago. “It seems they are harassing us every Monday now,” a taxi driver in Kiev told AFP news agency. “It’s a new way to start your week.”
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force reported that 37 drones, all flying into Ukraine from the south, have been destroyed since Sunday evening. According to him, that is about 85 percent of the drones that Russia has deployed. “A pretty good result from our air defense and that number will increase in the future,” he said. Three cruise missiles were also shot down, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Also watch: Robin Ramaekers on kamikazedrones in Ukraine
“This shows desperation from Russians”
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of terrorizing the civilian population. “The whole of Ukraine is being attacked with kamikaze drones and missiles. The enemy can shoot at our cities, but they are not going to break us with that.” The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said that the attacks with kamikazedrones mainly show that things are not going well for the Russians. “The Russians think this will help, but it shows their desperation.”
Also killing in Sumy
In addition to the capital, other regions in Ukraine were hit by the Russians today. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal said three people were killed in the Sumy region. “At 5:20 a.m., three Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure,” he says. “At least three people were killed. Nine are injured.” Energy infrastructure in Sumy was also hit. That was also the case in the Dnipropetrovsk.
The attacks caused many power outages, Chmygal said. “Hundreds of places are without electricity.”
Also watch: These ‘kamikazedrones are used by Russia’
Professor Criekemans after the rockets on Kiev: “Putin sows fear and terror. But he has time. This war can last a very long time” (+)
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