Ukraine war: Russia launches missile attack on Kiev

Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 31 missiles fired by Russia over Kiev overnight.

Authorities said falling debris injured at least 17 people, including one child, and four of them were hospitalized.

It is the largest Russian attack in recent weeks and follows Kremlin vows to retaliate against recent attacks by Ukraine on its border region.

The attack prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to renew his call for more military aid from Western allies.

The first alarm sounded at 3 a.m. local time, warning of a ballistic missile threat. The first explosion was heard two hours later.

Debris fell in the Podilsky, Shevchenkivsky and Svyatoshin districts, causing fires on the roofs of transformers, several residential buildings and cars, Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, said in a telegram.

“As a result of successful combat operations, all enemy missiles were shot down over Kiev and on the approaches to the capital,” Popko said.

At this stage, it is not clear what Russia was aiming for.

In Lukyanivka, one of Kiev’s residential areas, the attack left a large round crater in the street. The explosion and shock wave shattered windows and damaged surrounding buildings.

The coffee kiosk was a mess. Other businesses, including grocery stores and medical clinics, were also abandoned. Staff members were visibly upset and swept up piles of broken glass. Residents in apartments above were trying to salvage belongings from the wreckage.

Many people took shelter underground for safety, spending the early morning hours in basements and subways.

The woman, Sophia, who was in Kiev for her mother’s 50th birthday, burst into tears as she visited the bomb site shortly after the attack.

“They are destroying our past, our future,” she said, angry at the world’s indifference or lack of interest in Ukraine’s pain.

“Maybe more people need to die, suffer and bleed?” she said.

“Cars were on fire there, everything was exploding… I came back and tried to find the cat with a cat carrier, but I couldn’t find it,” said Tetiana, a Kiev resident.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced Wednesday that five people were killed in a Russian attack in Kharkiv.

Officials in the nearby Sumy region said more than 300 people had been forced to evacuate since last week due to increased shelling and Russian airstrikes, and more were on the way.

Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for more military aid in recent days, particularly asking Western countries to send more air defense systems to Ukraine.

Speaking via video link with leaders of EU member states on Thursday, he said the amount of shells available to Ukrainian soldiers was “humiliating for Europe”.

“Russia’s access to European agricultural markets remains unrestricted,” he said.

“And even as Ukrainian grain is thrown onto roads and railway tracks, Russian products are still being transported to Europe, as are goods from Belarus, which is controlled by President (Vladimir) Putin. This is unfair. is”

“Such terrorism continues day and night. World unity, with the support of air defense systems, can stop terrorism,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post hours after the Kiev attack.

“We need this protection now here in Ukraine… It’s very possible if our partners have enough political will,” he said.

Zelenskiy made an urgent appeal for an expansion of the arsenal at an international conference held in Germany last month.

“By leaving Ukraine with an artificial shortage of weapons, especially artillery and long-range capabilities, Putin will be able to adapt to the intensity of the current war.”

On the other side of the border, Russian towns are also being hit by attacks.

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced earlier this week that 16 people had been killed and 98 injured in a series of attacks on the Russian border city of Belgorod.

As a result, thousands of children will be evacuated from the city and surrounding areas over the coming weeks, he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who just secured another six years in the Kremlin, has vowed to continue waging this war.

President Putin said last week that Ukraine’s attacks on Russia “will go unpunished and will go unpunished.”

For the Ukrainians, that means more tense nights, more missiles, more destruction.

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss increased military and financial aid to Ukraine, including a proposal to transfer billions of euros worth of frozen Russian assets to Kiev.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his support for the plan.

European Council President Charles Michel said in a letter to leaders ahead of the summit that the EU was facing a “pivotal moment” and that the summit would strengthen EU efforts to send military aid to Ukraine. He said it was an opportunity to “accelerate.”

Michel also wrote that the EU needs to put its economy in “combat position”.