Kyiv, Ukraine – The Ukrainian air defenses faced an overnight Russian aerial attack on the capital Kyiv for five hours, according to officials on Thursday. During this attack, missiles and drones targeted the power grid in the city. Injuries were reported from the Kyiv attack where two people were harmed. Further damages included a kindergarten, gas pipe, and approximately 20 cars that suffered damage. The Kyiv Military Administration has provided these details of the incident.
Western Ukraine was also under siege when Russia fired three Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. These weapons are considered among Russia’s most advanced weapons and were directed at Starokostiantyniv, a city in the Khmelnytskyi region, according to the air force. However, the force has not released any further information, suggesting that the missiles might have been aimed at a sensitive site.
Long-range strikes are a common tactic used by Russia during its military campaign in Ukraine, now well into its third year. These attacks often target civilian areas and have led to significant damage, with around 70% of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity being knocked out due to the attacks on the electricity network. As winter approaches, blackouts have become a common occurrence.
Ukraine is in urgent need of air defense systems, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday to ensure continued U.S. military support for his country.
In Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region, the power grid was targeted, causing a blackout in parts of the regional capital that shares its name. The regional governor, Svitlana Onyshchuk, made this announcement. The power grid was also targeted in the southern Mykolaiv region, but local authorities have not yet provided further details.
Russia launched six missiles and 78 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, as stated by Ukraine’s air force. Out of these, defenses managed to destroy four missiles and 66 drones in the air.
In southern regions, a missile killed a 62-year-old woman in the Odesa region where homes and cars were damaged, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. The city of Zaporizhzhia suffered at least 10 injuries during the overnight attack, including a 14-year-old. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov released photographs showing houses with their windows blown out and walls riddled with shrapnel. The Emergency Service stated that 12 residential buildings were damaged in the city, and 18 people were evacuated.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern Sumy region, ordnance experts defused a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) glide bomb that landed without exploding next to a bridge over the River Psel.