UKRAINE/ RUSSIA : Russia has targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with new air attacks, which an official describes as “exceptional in density.”
Ukraine said all 18 missiles were destroyed, and video revealed that air defences destroyed targets above the city.
But Russia asserted that its attack, which involved drones and missiles, had successfully hit every target. In recent weeks, Moscow has intensified its air campaign anticipating an anticipated Ukrainian offensive.
The air raid alarm went off at roughly 02:30 local time (23:30 GMT Monday) and was removed two hours later in the eighth strike to target the nation’s capital this month.
The city centre experienced an exceptionally high number of loud explosions as officials informed the populace via internet postings that air defence had been activated.
Valerii Zaluzhny, the head of the Ukrainian armed forces, claimed that Russia assaulted Kyiv from the north, south, and east, employing 18 air, sea, and land-based missiles.
The barrage was described as the “maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time” by Serhiy Popko, the chief of the military administration in the Ukrainian capital.
According to early reports, he continued that the vast majority of hostile targets in Kyiv’s airspace were found and eliminated.
Gen. Zaluzhny stated that this includes nine Kalibr cruise missiles that were launched from ships in the Black Sea as well as three missiles that were launched from land.
The six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which have a top speed of more than 11,000 km/h (7,000 mph), were also destroyed by Kyiv, he continued.
In the past, Russia has asserted that it is invulnerable to air defence systems around the globe.
Hypersonic weapons are more difficult to defend against because of their speed, low flying height, ability to manoeuvre in midair, and lack of visibility to radars on the ground.
Earlier this week, during an attack on Kyiv, Ukraine claimed to have shot down a Kinzhal for the first time. If these allegations are accurate, Moscow will be angry that its most advanced missiles can now be intercepted.
This is mostly attributable to introduction of contemporary Western defence systems, such as the Patriots.
In the attack on Kyiv on Tuesday, Russia asserts that it was able to disable a Patriot system. Our team cannot independently verify the claims made by either nation.
On Tuesday, residents were advised to avoid windows as missile shrapnel dropped from the sky. Mayor Vitali Klitschko claimed that rocket debris had fallen in the city’s key areas, including at the zoo. Neither the animals nor the employees sustained any injuries.
The international airport is located in the Solomyansky neighbourhood, which is reportedly the hardest hit. A fire that started in a non-residential district area, according to Popko, has since been put out.
Kseniia, a resident of Kyiv, told the media that she and her husband were asleep when they heard a “series of very loud explosions” over their building. She compared the severity of the assault to a Star Wars movie or an action video game.
She added that Ukraine is now ready to locate and shoot down high-calibre missiles as a result of the assistance of its international friends.
“It’s such a relief to know Kyiv is under such a strong defence right now.”
Yevhen Petrov, another local, said that the attack on Tuesday was the first to shake his home since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
After a hiatus of more than 50 days, Russia started attacking Kyiv again earlier this month. The Ukrainian authorities believe Moscow’s objective is to exhaust the air defence systems, which have successfully intercepted most of the missiles and drones fired.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently completed a European visit. Western allies, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, offered him several billion dollars worth of military hardware.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the conflict has damaged cities and towns, killed thousands of citizens and fighters, and registered 8.2 million Ukrainians as refugees in Europe, with 2.8 million of them in Russia.
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