Russia, Ukraine Trade Blame as Overnight Strikes Over Kill 9
The Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram that Russia hit the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles overnight, causing damage in two districts.
"Tragically, two men were killed in the enemy shelling… In the Podilskyi district, a missile struck a non-residential building, causing a fire," the statement said.
A missile strike also set fire to a garage cooperative in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, the statement said, adding that the blaze was put out but damage occurred.
"Debris also fell in an open area at a separate location," it added.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said two people were hurt in strikes that damaged an industrial enterprise, apartment buildings and a sports club in the regional capital.
Chernihiv Governor Vyacheslav Chaus said a missile strike on an apartment building in the city of Pryluky killed at least five people and injured 25 others. Poltava Governor Vitaliy Dyakivnych said two people died and seven were wounded in his region.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Mykhailo Semikin said an overnight strike hit a transport infrastructure facility in the regional capital, warning that traffic restrictions may be temporarily imposed on some road sections.
"One of the key targets was our energy infrastructure. The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively. This was one of the most vile strikes: 70 missiles in total, many of them ballistic, as well as 'shaheds.' Unfortunately, only some of them were shot down," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the U.S. social media company X.
Calling the attack a "birthday gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said ballistic missiles remain Ukraine's greatest challenge and that air defense packages for Kyiv are a "vital necessity."
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it carried out a "massive strike" on Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as in the Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Kharkiv and Odesa regions. It also claimed Russian air defenses downed 311 Ukrainian drones over 16 regions, as well as over the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
In Russia's border region of Belgorod, Governor Alexander Shuvaev said Ukrainian strikes injured seven people across three districts over the past 24 hours. In the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Russian-installed Horlivka Mayor Ivan Prikhodko said a Ukrainian drone attack injured three people.
Voronezh Governor Aleksandr Gusev said falling debris damaged a power line in the southern part of his region, leaving several villages temporarily without electricity as emergency services worked at the site.
The Ukrainian Air Force claimed its air defenses shot down 117 of 130 strike drones, along with 44 ballistic and cruise missiles out of an unspecified number Russia launched overnight.
Independent verification of the claims is difficult because of the ongoing war.
Moscow and Kyiv have stepped up strikes in recent months, targeting each other's logistics centers, ports and energy infrastructure. Both deny deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, maintaining that their strikes are aimed at military targets or facilities linked to military activities.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
