KYIV: In a rare daytime attack, Russia fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv on Monday, triggering panic among residents who sought shelter following overnight strikes. A series of explosions were heard in Kyiv as Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital for the second time in 24 hours.
At approximately 11:10 am local time (0810 GMT), at least 10 explosions were reported, coinciding with the activation of an air raid warning. Ukrainian authorities confirmed that every Russian missile launched against the Kyiv region had been successfully intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses.
Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s armed forces chief, revealed that a total of 11 missiles, including the ‘Iskander-M’ and ‘Iskander-K’ types, were fired from a northerly direction. He affirmed that all targets had been destroyed by air defenses. Sergiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city administration, condemned the attack, stating that Russia was intentionally targeting the civilian population.
Reports indicated that debris fell in different parts of the city, while the exact number of casualties was still being determined. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that at least one person had been hospitalized.
Panic in Kyiv After Missile Explosions
The heavy barrage of explosions caused panic among the population, leading people to seek refuge in the city’s metro stations. Many residents, who had become accustomed to ignoring air raid sirens, reacted with fear to the intensified attack. Authorities reported that this was the 16th attack on Kyiv this month.
The ongoing aerial raids have disrupted the daily lives of residents, with Kyiv facing nightly attacks throughout May. The latest assault came after Ukrainian forces successfully repelled a significant number of overnight air strikes with no casualties reported.
In addition to targeting Kyiv, Russia also launched attacks in other regions. A settlement in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region was hit, resulting in one fatality and nine injuries, including an 11-year-old child. Another missile attack in the eastern Kharkiv region wounded six individuals, including a pregnant woman and two children aged 10 and 14. In the western region of Khmelnytsky, Russian forces struck a military facility, leading to the grounding of five aircraft.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its forces had attacked Ukrainian airfields and successfully destroyed all assigned targets. Moscow has warned against escalating the conflict after the United States agreed to authorize the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
While Kyiv has been preparing for an offensive, the specifics regarding its timing and focus remain unclear. Ukrainian authorities have expressed the need for additional weapons from their international supporters. Ganna Malyar, Deputy Defense Minister, noted that the intensity of the enemy’s offensive in the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut has decreased as Russian mercenary group Wagner hands over its positions to Moscow’s regular troops. However, enemy artillery shelling continues unabated.
