Ukrainian authorities yesterday issued new air raid alerts across the nation as Russian bombers took to the skies, a day after Moscow carried out a “massive” attack on Ukraine’s power grid.
Russia fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine on Monday, killing at least four people and battering the nation’s already weakened energy grid, officials said.
The Russian attack triggered widespread blackouts and came after Kyiv claimed new advances in its incursion in Russia’s Kursk region.
Photo: AFP
The Ukrainian Air Force early yesterday confrimed the “takeoff of several Tu-95MS from the Engels airfield” in western Russia, prompting air raid alerts.
At least four more people were killed in overnight Russian attacks, according to local officials, two in southeastern Zaporizhzhia and two in the central city of Kryvyi Rig after a missile struck a hotel.
Two more were missing in Kryvyi Rig, “likely under the rubble,” regional governor Sergiy Lysak said in a post on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday said that Moscow launched at least 127 missiles and 109 drones in “one of the largest Russian attacks.”
Of those, 102 missiles and 99 drones were shot down, said Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, who described it as Russia’s “most massive” attack.
The US and the UK both condemned the assault, with US President Joe Biden calling it “outrageous” and British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy branding it “cowardly.”
NATO member Poland said its airspace was violated during the barrage, probably by a drone.
“We are probably dealing with the entry of an object on Polish territory. The object was confirmed by at least three radiolocation stations,” General Maciej Klisz, operational commander of the armed forces, told reporters.
Polish army command spokesman Jacek Goryszewski said it was “highly likely that it could have been a Shahed-type drone” of Iranian design, used by the Russian military.
“But this has to be verified,” he said, adding that it could not be ruled out that the drone had already left Polish territory.
Zelenskiy called for European air forces to help Kyiv down drones and missiles.
“In our various regions of Ukraine, we could do much more to protect lives if the aviation of our European neighbors worked together with our F-16s and together with our air defense,” Zelenskiy said in an address.
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