A large-scale Russian missile and drone barrage killed at least nine people and wounded dozens across Ukraine on Tuesday, authorities reported. The attack came only days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a warning that Russia was preparing a ‘massive new strike.’
Ukraine’s air force stated that Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles overnight from Monday into Tuesday. While Ukrainian defenses downed or neutralized 40 of the missiles and 602 drones, 38 sites were ultimately hit, with Kyiv being the primary target.
Russia’s military claimed responsibility for conducting a ‘massive strike’ on Ukrainian targets, stating it used hypersonic missiles and aimed at the country’s military-industrial complex. In Kyiv, AFP journalists heard multiple explosions as Russian ballistic missiles struck the city, igniting fires and cutting power to several districts.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that four people were killed and at least 58 others, including two children, were wounded in what he termed a ‘mass enemy attack.’ Residents were seen rushing to shelters as a large plume of smoke rose from the city center.
The attack on Kyiv left 140,000 residents without electricity, according to power company DTEK, though utility workers managed to restore power to 110,000 of them. Deadly strikes were also reported in other Ukrainian cities.
In the city of Dnipro, a Russian attack killed five people and wounded 25 others, local governor Oleksandr Ganzha said. The Associated Press reported a higher toll of at least six killed and 36 injured, citing Ukraine’s state emergency service, and noted that a second strike killed a first responder.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Igor Terekhov reported that ten people, including a child, were wounded. Meanwhile, Ukraine also conducted retaliatory strikes, with a Ukrainian drone attack killing one person in Russia’s Kursk region near the border.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated that the strikes demonstrate Russian President Vladimir Putin is resorting to terror as his military options dwindle. He asserted that Moscow is losing on the battlefield and that no number of missiles can change that outcome.
The attacks followed Zelenskyy’s Friday warning based on intelligence about a planned massive strike. He urged citizens to heed air alerts and protect their lives, and has repeatedly called on allies to provide Patriot missile systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
Ukraine has escalated its own strikes on occupied territories and inside Russia in retaliation for the daily bombardments. Data from Ukraine’s air force showed Russia launched a record 8,150 long-range drones at Ukraine in May, a 24 percent increase from April, with Ukraine intercepting about 90 percent of incoming drones and missiles that month.
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