Ukraine continues to deal with the consequences of one of the largest combined air attacks in recent months, carried out yesterday. Russian forces fired a total of 90 missiles and about 600 drones of various types, with the capital Kiev as their main target.
According to the Ukrainian army, 55 missiles and 549 drones were intercepted. The attack is particularly significant because Moscow confirmed that for the third time in the war the experimental medium-range ballistic missile “Oreshnik“ (aimed at the area of the city of Bila Tserkva), along with hypersonic missiles “Dagger“, “Zircon“ and ballistic systems “Iskander“.
In Kiev and the Kiev region, four people have been confirmed dead (including two women pulled from the rubble in the Shevchenkivskyi district). The total number of injured in the capital exceeded 86-87 people, including children.
The attacks affected a total of more than 8 regions. In the city of Kramatorsk (Donetsk region), 11 strikes with FAB-250 aerial bombs and artillery killed one man and injured two people. Cases of civilian injuries and damage were also recorded in Sumy, Kharkiv and Odessa regions.
The Kiev city administration reported that in terms of the number of affected sites, this was one of the most destructive single attacks, with damage recorded at over 40-50 locations in all districts of the city. About 30 apartment buildings and private houses were damaged or partially destroyed. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, a five-story residential building has partially collapsed. The iconic "Lukyanivka" market and the "Kvadrat" shopping center have been completely destroyed by fires. Dozens of shops, warehouses and offices have been damaged.
A blast wave damaged the lobby and ceiling of a metro station in Lukyanivka, where citizens were taking shelter. The Azerbaijani embassy building was hit by a shock wave that broke windows and cracked the roof of the consular section. The Russian strikes for the first time systematically affected the historic architecture in the center of Kiev, which caused an urgent reaction and an official appeal by Ukraine to UNESCO.
The historic building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (a cultural monument from 1939, hit for the first time since World War II) suffered minor damage to its facade. The National Museum “Chernobyl“, the National Museum of Art of Ukraine, two libraries, the Kiev Opera and Ballet, as well as buildings of the Kiev National University were also damaged.
Missiles fired hit strategic water supply facilities in the capital. Despite the sheer scale of the bombing, the critical power grid in Kiev itself has held up and the city has electricity, but hundreds of thousands of people in nearby areas hit by the wave are experiencing temporary power outages.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the massive strike targeted military-industrial complex sites and command posts, denying that civilian targets were intentionally targeted. Ukrainian emergency teams and volunteers continue to clear the debris.