Russia attacked Kiev with ballistic missiles
Russia struck the Ukrainian capital with drones and ballistic missiles before dawn on Saturday, officials said, killing at least three people in central Kiev as part of a wider attack. targeting towns and cities across the country.
Air raid alarms still sounded as emergency rescue teams raced to find the dead and wounded – a familiar task in a country that has been ravaged by relentless Russian bombardment for nearly three years.
The Ukrainian Air Force said four ballistic missiles and 39 attack drones were used in the attack and two of the ballistic missiles were shot down in the Kyiv region. Although the city is attacked by drones almost every night, ballistic missile launches targeting the city are less frequent.
The pre-dawn attack ruptured a water main near the city center, sending water flooding through the streets around the damaged facade of Lukianivska metro station. Nearby, smoke rose from a charred truck with at least two burned bodies inside.
As the fire burned deep inside an industrial building across the street, several firefighters were trying to pull debris away from the front of a heavily damaged McDonald’s. Others focused on the huge blocks of glass, debris and insulation covering the sidewalks outside subway stations — often where people seek safety during attacks.
As investigators paced the streets, reaching into the rushing water to search for bullet fragments, some store owners tried to break through the police barricades.
Yana, 30, said: “It’s scary because this place is constantly under attack.” “Some things are blocked, but some things always get through.”
As the water receded, a large crater became visible in the middle of the road as the sun rose. Yury Ihnat, air force spokesman, told Ukrainian news agency Pravda that one of the missiles was shot down at low altitude, which may help explain the heavy damage to the street and surrounding buildings.
Ukrainian air defense teams spent hours tracking and trying to shoot down attacking drones over the country. Russia uses drones to attack targets and exhaust air defense teams, and for months it has sent flocks of them into Ukraine almost every night. Many are “fake” drones, without warheads, aimed at overwhelming mobile air defense teams on duty 24/7.
Kyiv tries to stockpile more sophisticated air defense systems to deal with cruise and ballistic missiles, which are more dangerous and more expensive to produce.
On Saturday, an airstrike warning ended in Kyiv just before 6 a.m. as explosions rang out across the city. Seconds later, air raid sirens began to sound.
Authorities initially said four people were killed, but President Volodymyr Zelensky later revised the death toll to three and said three others were also injured in the attack.
A separate attack in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia injured at least 10 people, he added, warning that many people could still be trapped under rubble there.
Zaporizhzhia has been hit hard in recent weeks, incl a strike this month According to Ukrainian officials, 13 civilians were killed and at least 110 others were injured. The United Nations estimates that civilian casualties rose 30% in 2024 from a year earlier as Russia sought to force Ukraine into submission.
Saturday’s attack came a day after Russian missiles struck the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing four people. everybody and damage buildings.
“Each such terrorist attack is another reminder of who we are dealing with,” Mr. Zelensky said after the attack in Kryvyi Rih, his hometown. “Russia will not stop on its own. It can only be stopped by collective pressure, the pressure of everyone in the world who appreciates life.”
Ukraine has been building up its arsenal of long-range missiles and drones in response to Russia, and in recent weeks has stepped up its campaign targeting oil and gas facilities deep inside the country – a efforts to make things difficult for Moscow’s war machine on home soil. .
That effort continued Saturday, with fires reported at an oil depot in the Tula region, south of Moscow, and in the Kaluga region, about 100 miles southwest of Moscow.
Ministry of Defense of Russia said the air defense force intercepted 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 5 in the Tula region and 7 in the Kaluga region. It did not comment on any damages.
Long aimed at limiting Moscow’s ability to attack Ukrainian cities, Kyiv’s attacks inside Russia have worsened in recent weeks.
Ukrainian forces are struggling on the domestic front, and Donald J. Trump’s upcoming inauguration in Washington has raised questions about whether the United States will maintain military support for Kiev.
Mr. Trump, who was openly expressed doubts on continuing support for Ukraine after taking office on Monday, said he would quickly end the war without specifying how.
Marc Santora And Liubov Sholudko Report contributions.
