KYIV: Ukrainian officials said Monday that the country’s air defences shot down more than 40 targets as Russia carried out the second consecutive overnight attack on Kyiv.
According to Voice of America, “Another difficult night for Kyiv,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. He said there were no reported wounds from the attack.
Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s army administration, said Russian armed forces used a combination of cruise missiles and Shahed drones to hit Kyiv for the 15th time in May.
The consistent aerial attacks have come ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukrainian leaders have said they would seek to reclaim territory Russia seized since it launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.
Ukraine’s air force said air defences shot down 29 of 35 drones and 37 of 40 Russian missiles launched overnight.
The attacks came a day after what officials called Russia’s “massive attack” on Kyiv that involved 54 drones.
Iran sanctions
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced a bill proposing 50 years of additional sanctions against Iran.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said the bill responded to what Kyiv said is Tehran’s arms supplies to Moscow. The draft includes a complete restriction on trade with Iran, investments, and transferring technologies. If the bill becomes law, Ukraine would forbid Iranian transit across Ukrainian territory and the use of its airspace and freeze Iranian assets.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine last year, Kyiv and its partners said Iran has been supplying Russia with weapons, including hundreds of drones. Tehran refused the allegations.
