Ukraine war

Explosions as Russia launches 15th air assault on Kyiv in May

A firefighter works at the site of a tobacco factory damaged during Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 28, 2023. (Pavlo Petrov/Press Service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

According to officials, several explosions have rocked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, during the 15th Russian air attack on the city this month and the second overnight attack in succession.

"A missile was intercepted near Kyiv," Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on the Telegram messaging channel early Monday morning. "Air defense working!"

He added that explosions were heard in several city districts, including the historic neighborhood of Podil in Kyiv, where falling debris damaged a house's roof.

Initial reports from the city's mayor and military administration indicate no casualties in the nocturnal attacks.

The attack on Monday, which appears to be a combination of missiles and drones, follows the largest drone barrage launched on Kyiv the night before, which resulted in the death of one individual and the injury of several others.

Sunday morning, officials reported that the city's air defenses fired down 40 drones in and around the capital.

According to the Kyiv Independent news website, most of the drones were Iranian Shahed loitering munitions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine thanked the country's air defense forces for safeguarding the nation and requested sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with weapons, including Shahed drones.

Multiple times per week, Russia now launches attacks against Ukraine.

The entire extent of Monday's attack is currently unknown.

Monday morning, when the city and the rest of Ukraine were on air raid alert, Reuters reported hearing several powerful explosions.

Moscow has intensified its attacks, targeting military infrastructure and supplies, in anticipation of a long-promised Ukrainian counteroffensive to recapture territory captured by Russia since it began its full-scale invasion 15 months ago.

While Ukraine almost never publicly asserts responsibility for attacks inside Russia, Moscow blames Kyiv for a series of raids that targeted the country's military, energy, and transportation infrastructure.

Publish : 2023-05-29 10:40:00

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