KYIV — Ukraine’s capital Kyiv came under fresh Russian attacks Monday after facing heavy missile and drone attacks over the weekend.
The attacks Monday morning mark the first daytime assault over the capital in months. Russia launched up to 40 cruise missiles over Ukraine from strategic bombers stationed in the Caspian Sea, according to Ukraine’s air defense forces.
The nation’s air defense forces reported shooting down most of the Russian weapons, including 37 missiles and 30 drones in five hours.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported about 40 enemy targets being shot down over Kyiv alone overnight. Monday morning’s attacks came at a time when Kyiv’s streets were full of people going to work and schools. Debris hit busy roads in the capital’s downtown and residential districts, Klitschko said in a Telegram statement. The attacks came a day after another major Russian bombardment just as Kyiv was marking the anniversary of its official founding 1,541 years ago.
“Another difficult night for the capital. But, thanks to the professionalism of our defenders, as a result of the air attack of the barbarians in Kyiv, there was no damage or destruction of infrastructural and other facilities, apartment buildings. There are no victims or dead,” Klitschko said.
Local authorities in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytskiy region reported Russians successfully hitting a military facility there.
“At the moment, work on localization of fires in fuel and lubricant warehouses and storage of combat material assets is ongoing. Five aircraft were damaged, as well as as a landing strip,” Khmelnytska Regional Military Administration reported.
Russia has launched 16 air attacks on Kyiv this month, but the latest assault signals a change in tactic.
“This was already the 16th attack on the capital since the beginning of the month. In this way, the enemy changed tactics — after long, exclusively nocturnal attacks, he struck a peaceful city during the day, when most of the residents were at work and on the streets. Russians clearly demonstrate that they are aiming at the destruction of the civilian population,” Kyiv Region Military Administration said in a statement.