Emergency services battle a blaze following “exceptionally dense” early morning missile attacks on Kyiv on Tuesday that injured at least three people. Photo courtesy State Emergency Service of Ukraine/EPA-EFE
May 16 (UPI) — Kyiv came under the most intensive bombardment Tuesday since Russia resumed its attacks from the air at the beginning of the month, injuring three people and damaging buildings and cars.
The “complex attack” launched from the north, south and east involving 18 cruise missiles, attack drones, and suspected ballistic missiles “was exceptional in its density — the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest period of time,” targeting five districts of the capital, Kyiv City Military Administration said.
The Solomyansk district of the city, the location of the international airport, suffered the worst damage with at least one fire in a non-residential building and several cars set ablaze. Falling debris from destroyed missiles damaged parked cars in the other districts, but was not significant.
Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said that three people were also injured in the Solomyansk district, according to preliminary information.
The Defense Ministry confirmed that Ukraine‘s air defenses had destroyed six Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, nine Kalibr cruise missiles and three ground-launched missiles.
“Another unbelievable success for the Ukrainian Air Forces,” Tweeted Defense Minister Oleksii Resnikov.
“Russian terrorists have no chance of prevailing over Ukraine. Their weapons can and should be countered by Western ones. Thank you to our Air Force service members and our partner states, who invested in securing the skies over Ukraine and all of Europe.”
Tuesday’s attack, the eight since the beginning of the month when Russia renewed its aerial campaign, came as President Volodymyr Zelensky returned from a three-day whistlestop tour of European capitals to lobby for more military support.
Beginning in Rome on Saturday with meetings with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis, Zelensky went on to make his first visit to Germany where he secured nearly $3 billion in additional assistance, Berlin’s largest military aid package since Russia’s invasion, and a pledge of continued support from Chancellor Olaf Scholz “for as long as it is necessary.”
The package includes 30 Leopard tanks, 100 armored vehicles, 15 additional Gephard anti-air systems, 20 Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and 200 reconnaissance drones.
Zelensky went directly from Berlin to Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron before finishing up his visit in Britain on Monday where he met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks.