Ukrainian air defenses thwarted an intense Russian airstrike on kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all 18 missiles aimed at the capital.
Loud explosions resounded over kyiv as the overnight attack combined Russian air-, sea- and ground-launched missiles in an apparent attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. No casualties were reported.
Russia’s latest attack on Kiev was «exceptional in its density: the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time,» said Serhii Popko, head of Kiev’s military administration.
The British ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, tweeted that the shelling was «pretty heavy.»
“Bangs and shaking walls are not an easy night,” he wrote.
It was the eighth time this month that Russian airstrikes had targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.
It also came as President Volodymyr Zelenksyy wrapped up a European tour to greet Ukraine’s key wartime allies, prompting a further tranche of promised military aid.
The Ukrainian Air Force said 18 missiles of various types were launched, including drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. All were intercepted, Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said.
Six «Kinzhal» aeroballistic missiles were launched from MiG-31K aircraft, nine cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea and three land-based S-400 cruise missiles were targeted at the capital, Ihnat said in a statement on Telegram.
After the first strike, Russia also launched Iranian-made Shahed attack drones and conducted aerial reconnaissance, Ihnat said.
Debris fell in various districts of the capital. In the Solomyansky district, starting a fire in a non-residential building.
Debris set cars on fire and fell on the grounds of a zoo, but no losses were reported, kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The barrage came as European leaders were due to attend a rare summit of the 46-nation Council of Europe, the continent’s main human rights body.
The two-day meeting in Iceland seeks to establish a way to record the damage in Ukraine caused by Kremlin forces so that compensation claims can be made against Moscow.