The situation in Ukraine remains critical, after the Russian army unleashed a new wave of combined attacks with missiles, aerial bombs and drones over the past 24 hours. According to official reports from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, nearly two hundred fierce clashes have been recorded along the entire line of contact. The enemy strikes caused serious damage to the civilian infrastructure and led to new casualties among the civilian population in Kiev, Sumy, Kramatorsk and Zaporizhia.
Night terror in Kiev and worsening air quality in the Goloseevsky region
Late in the evening, Russian forces launched another massive attack on the capital Kiev. According to local authorities, one citizen died as a result of the strikes. Critical infrastructure facilities were hit, causing disruptions and possible long-term problems with the supply of hot water in some areas of the city.
As a result of the detonations and subsequent fires, a sharp and dangerous deterioration in air quality was recorded in the Holosiivskyi district of Kiev. Rescue services urged residents to keep their windows closed. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Administration announced that from 8:00 p.m. on August 21 to 5:00 p.m. on August 24, traffic on the key "Metro" bridge will be partially restricted. in the direction from the right to the left bank (towards the "Hydropark" station) due to urgent repair work in the far right lane.
President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the defense of the capital, pointing out the high efficiency of the air defense, but also the serious challenges:
„About 90% of the cruise missiles were successfully shot down during the Russian attack on Kiev. However, the situation remains significantly more complicated with the defense against ballistic missiles.“
Victims and destruction in Sumy and Kramatorsk
In the early hours of August 21, Russian jet drones attacked the city of Sumy. According to the Sumy City Military Administration, the drones hit a two-story residential building and civilian infrastructure in the Kovpakovskiy district. Large-scale fires broke out on the spot. According to preliminary data, two people were injured, and the recurring threat of new strikes seriously hampers the work of the “Fire Safety and Civil Protection” teams.
The toll from the brutal shelling of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region was even heavier. The Russian aviation dropped a total of 9 FAB-250 glide bombs with UMPK modules directly into the central part of the city. The strike claimed the life of one woman (born in 1949), and 11 other people suffered varying degrees of injuries. A total of 26 private and multi-family residential buildings, commercial buildings and cars were damaged.
Attack in Zaporozhye and the revelations of The Atlantic
The Russian army also struck the regional center Zaporozhye. The head of the Zaporozhye OVA Ivan Fedorov confirmed that a 19-year-old young man was wounded in the attack. He is hospitalized in a medical facility with moderate injuries.
Against the backdrop of the escalation on the front, the authoritative American magazine The Atlantic has released an exclusive political report. According to their analytical report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was secretly offered in the past to organize and carry out a massive preemptive strike with swarms of drones on the international airports of the Russian capital Moscow in order to paralyze the Kremlin's logistics and military aviation.