Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, has been the target of additional Russian airstrikes, characterized by one official as “exceptionally dense.”
Ukraine reported that all 18 missiles had been intercepted, and footage showed air defenses eliminating targets over the city.
Officials reported that at least three persons were injured during the barrage, which included both drones and missiles.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its air campaign in anticipation of a Ukrainian offensive.
The seventh city strike this month began with an air raid siren at 02:30 local time (Monday 23:30 GMT) and finished two hours later.
The city center was rife with an unusually high number of deafening explosions as authorities informed residents via online messages that air defense had been activated.
Ukrainian military officer Valerii Zaluzhny said Russia attacked Kyiv from the north, south, and east with 18 air, sea, and land missiles.
Serhiy Popko, head of the military administration of the Ukrainian capital. Characterized the barrage as “the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest amount of time.”
“According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in Kyiv’s airspace were detected and destroyed,” he added.
Gen Zaluzhny stated that this included six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Which Russia previously claimed could not be destroyed by any air defense system in the world.
The speed of hypersonic weapons exceeds five times the speed of sound. Due to their speed, low altitude, and mid-air manoeuvrability, they are harder to defend against.
Ukraine shot down its first Kinzhal last week during an attack on Kyiv.
Residents were warned to stay away from windows as missile fragments fell from the sky.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that missile fragments had fallen in the city’s central districts, including the zoo. No employees or animals were injured.
According to reports, the Solomyansky district, which contains the international airport, was the hardest impacted.
Mr. Popko stated that a fire that broke out in a commercial building in the area has been extinguished.
Kyiv resident Kseniia said she and her husband heard “series of very loud explosions” above their building while sleeping. She likened the intensity of the assault to that of a Star Wars movie or an action video game.
She noted that Ukraine can now locate and destroy high-caliber missiles with help from its international friends.
It is such a relief to know that Kyiv is currently protected by such a robust defense.
Another resident, Yevhen Petrov, stated that Tuesday’s attack was the first time his home had been shaken by the intensity of an assault since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The resumption of attacks on Kyiv by Russia earlier this month followed a 50-day hiatus. The Ukrainian authorities believe that Moscow’s strategy is to exhaust the air defense systems, which have been incredibly effective at intercepting the vast majority of the missiles and drones launched.
In recent days, President Volodymyr Zelensky has been on a tour of Europe, during which Western allies, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom and President Emmanuel Macron of France, have pledged him military equipment worth several billion dollars.
Thousands of civilians and combatants have been slain or injured, cities and towns have been destroyed in the fighting, and nearly 8.2 million Ukrainians have been registered as refugees in Europe, including 2.8 million in Russia.
