Russian missile strikes targeted three Ukrainian cities overnight including the capital, Kyiv, officials said yesterday.
At least five people were killed in strikes that hit the central cities of Dnipro and Uman.
Although Russia regularly bombed Ukrainian cities and infrastructure last winter, the massive strikes had tailed off in recent months. Kyiv had not been targeted by missiles in more than 50 days.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Most fighting is now taking place in the east for control of the industrial Donbas region, particularly the city of Bakhmut, which has been almost completely destroyed.
Missiles “killed civilians again in the city of Dnipro,” mayor Borys Filatov yesterday wrote on Telegram.
“A young woman and a three-year-old child died,” he added.
Air defence systems were also activated in Kyiv, local officials said.
“After a pause of 51 days, the enemy launched another missile attack on Kyiv,” local air defence forces head Sergey Popko said in a city administration statement.
“According to preliminary data, 11 cruise missiles were destroyed in Kyiv airspace. In addition to the missiles, two drones were shot down,” Popko said.
No casualties or damage to buildings were reported.
Ukraine’s air defence system has been bolstered in recent months by the delivery of Western equipment that has been crucial to the country’s war effort.
In particular, Kyiv received the sophisticated American Patriot systems this month.
While it has not faced missile barrages since early March, the capital was the target last week of an attack by 12 Iranian-made drones, eight of which were shot down without causing any casualties.
In Uman, a central city of 80,000 residents, a video broadcast by Ukrainian media showed a gutted apartment building with rubble strewn around it.
“An enemy missile hit a residential building. Information about the victims is being clarified,” regional police spokesperson Zoya Vovk wrote on Telegram.
Uman was hit by two cruise missiles, with one hitting a residential building and the other a warehouse, regional governor Igor Tabourets said.
“As of 7am, three people were killed and eight were injured,” Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Klymenko said, referring to the attack in Uman.
Ukraine said it has been preparing for months a counter-offensive aimed at repelling Russian forces from the territory they currently hold in the east and south.
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