Russia launched strikes on Kiev early this morning with missiles and drones, killing one person and wounding 27 others, the Associated Press reported, citing local authorities. The agency notes that this is happening a day before the next round of talks between representatives of the United States and Ukraine, BTA reported.
The attack began in the early hours of the day and lasted until sunrise. The strike was carried out as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet with his American counterpart Donald Trump in Florida, where the two are expected to further discuss efforts to end the nearly four-year-old war. Zelensky said that it is planned to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with almost 500 drones and 40 missiles of various types, Zelensky said in a post on the social network “Telegram“. According to him, the main target was the energy and civil infrastructure in Kiev, with some areas of the region without electricity or heating due to the strikes.
“There have been many questions lately. Where is the Russian response to the proposals to end the war that were made by the United States and the world?“, Zelensky added. "Russian representatives are having long conversations, while in fact the missiles and drones are speaking on their behalf," he added.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said on Telegram that more than 10 residential buildings were damaged in the attack. People were evacuated from under the rubble of the collapsed buildings.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a "massive strike" was carried out with "long-range and precision weapons with air, ground and sea-based weapons, including hypersonic "Dagger" missiles and drones on energy infrastructure facilities "used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine", as well as on "enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex". The ministry said the strikes were in response to Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets in Russia. Earlier today, the ministry said air defense forces shot down seven Ukrainian drones in Russia's Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Adygea.
Poland has activated its combat aviation and temporarily closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the border with Ukraine during the Russian attacks. There was no violation of Polish airspace, the Polish Armed Forces command said in an "Ex" report. The AP notes that it is unclear what caused the alarm in Poland when the Russian attacks were focused on Kiev, which is far from the border.