In its first major barrage in nearly two weeks, Russian forces fired missiles at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on Saturday as regions across the country were under air raid alerts.
In the southeastern city of Dnipro, at least nine people were killed and more than 64 wounded, after a Russia missile strike destroyed part of a residential building, Ukrainian officials said.
Infrastructure in the western Lviv region and northeastern Kharkiv were also hit, in addition to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. Regional officials urged residents to seek shelter.
- Kyiv: Explosions were heard across Ukraine’s capital Saturday, including in the residential Dniprovskyi district. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles flying from the north. “The ballistics are not easy for us to detect and shoot down,” he told local media. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said fragments of a missile also fell in a nonresidential area in the Holosiivskyi district, where a fire briefly broke out.
- Dnipro: Rescue operations are underway for people likely trapped under the rubble of a multistory residential building hit by a missile strike, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram.
- Kharkiv: Two Russian missiles hit an infrastructure object Saturday afternoon after a similar attack in the morning, said Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. The city’s subway system suspected operations amid the attacks.
- Lviv: An infrastructure facility was hit in Lviv, Gov. Maksym Kozytskyi said.
- Mykolaiv: Vitali Kim, governor of the southern Mykolaiv region, hinted in a Telegram post that some missiles were intercepted over his province.
Latest Ukraine news:
►Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to visit the United Nations on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, said First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova. But Dzhaparova cautioned the visit would depend on many factors, including the possibility Russia is planning “a very serious offensive in February.”
►The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency will travel to Ukraine next week to station safety experts at Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities ” to help prevent a nuclear accident during the current military conflict,” according to a Friday statement from the agency.
►NATO is preparing to deploy surveillance aircraft to Romania on Jan. 17 to monitor Russian activity, according to a statement this week. Amid the war in Ukraine, NATO has increased its air presence in eastern Europe and conducted regular patrols over the region to track Russian warplanes.
►Moldovan border officials said the remains of a rocket “originating from Russia’s air attacks on Ukraine” was found in Larga, a northern village near the country’s border with Ukraine, Moldovan authorities said.
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VIDEO:Battle for Ukraine salt mining town Soledar intensifies, Russia says city under control
UK, others promises tanks, artillery in aid to Ukraine
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday promised to provide tanks and artillery systems in military aid to Ukraine.
Sunak said he pledged the Challenger 2 tanks and artillery systems after speaking with Zelenskyy on Saturday, according to a statement from Sunak’s office. The British leader’s office did not provide any additional details on how many tanks would be sent and when.
Zelenskyy thanked Sunak in a tweet “for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners.”
For months, Ukraine has asked Western allies for heavier tanks but leaders have tread carefully.
Recently, the Czech Republic and Poland provided Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine. France promised AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles. The U.S. announced it would send Bradley fighting vehicles, and Germany pledged Marder armored personnel carriers.
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Russia, Ukraine make conflicting claims over state of Soledar
Russia and Ukraine have made conflicting claims this week about the state of the fight over the fiercely contested salt-mining town of Soledar.
Russia claimed Friday that it captured the town, marking a rare victory for Moscow after a series of setbacks in its war in Ukraine.
“The liberation of the town of Soledar was completed in the evening of Jan. 12,” said Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman, calling the development “important for the continuation of offensive operations in the Donetsk region.”
Meanwhile, Serhii Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army in the east, denied Soledar had fallen and said there are still Ukrainian units in the town.
“The tough battle for Donetsk continues,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Friday.
Contributing: The Associated Press