Russia unleashed a wave of Russian drone and missile strikes overnight, hitting Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said. Air raid alerts sounded across much of the country in the early hours.
The head of Ukraine’s armed forces said Russia had fired 81 missiles at Ukrainian territory on Thursday morning, including six “kinzhal” hypersonic missiles, which its air force cannot intercept.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said the capital experienced a number of explosions that had damaged energy infrastructure and injured several civilians. In his most recent post on telegram Klitschko said that because of emergency power outages after the missile attack, 40% of the capital’s consumers are now without heating.
The air alert lasted almost seven hours in the capital, said Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, on Telegram. He accused Russia of unleashing “almost all types of their air weapons” from Iranian-made drones to “almost all types of cruise missiles.” CNBC wasn’t able to verify the claims.
Officials in the southern port city of Odesa, Lviv in western Ukraine and Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine also reported drone and missile strikes overnight. Elsewhere, in the Dnipro area, a regional official said there was “serious destruction” as a result of the shelling with “energy infrastructure and industrial enterprises” damaged. A number of fatalities were reported in Lviv and Dnipro.
Andrii Sadovyy, Lviv city mayor, said on Telegram that “according to preliminary information, drones and missiles flew in our direction.” He added that “the enemy is raging,” as he likened Russia to a wounded bear in a trap.
“They have not had success at the front for a long time. That is why they choose senseless chaotic shooting all over Ukraine,” he said.
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