For the first time in weeks, Russia launches its biggest missile assault on Kiev, but Ukraine intercepts every one of them

Kyiv: In the first strike on the Ukrainian capital in six weeks, Russia launched 31 ballistic and cruise missiles towards Kyiv before dawn on Thursday, according to authorities. All of the approaching missiles were shot down by air defences, but 13 people, including a toddler, were hurt by falling debris, according to reports. The missiles landed at around the same time from separate locations, waking up residents of Kyiv to loud booms, according to Serhii Popko, director of the Kyiv City Administration.

According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia attacked the nation’s capital with 29 cruise missiles and two ballistic missiles. The majority of the vast nation’s air defences are not as strong as those of Kiev. Because of the high rate of missile interception, Russian strikes on the capital are much less effective than they were in the early stages of the conflict. Despite this, Ukrainian authorities caution that in order to defeat Russia’s invasion, they will need a significant increase in Western weaponry.

Putin had warned to “respond in kind” to airstrikes in Ukraine on Wednesday.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, promised on Wednesday to “respond in kind” to aircraft strikes on Russia’s Belgorod area, which is close to the Ukrainian border, that have occurred in recent days.

Putin said that Russia “can respond in the same way regarding civilian infrastructure and all other objects of this kind that the enemy attacks” during a gathering held in the Kremlin. We each have our own ideas and opinions on this. We will adhere to our plan.

According to the municipal government, a 38-year-old male and an 11-year-old daughter were admitted to the hospital in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said eight other people had minor injuries.

About 80 individuals, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service, had to be evacuated from their houses. At least one apartment block was set on fire by falling debris from the intercepted missiles, which also scorched parked vehicles and caused holes in the streets and a small park. Broken windows and broken glass were among the debris that covered several of the roadways.

After the incident, survivors describe a horrifying experience.
Survivors described near escapes, several of them in tears and clearly terrified as emergency personnel treated them on the street. The explosion destroyed the doors and windows of Raisa Kozenko’s 71-year-old flat, but she claimed her son managed to leap out of bed just in time. She shuddered in amazement and continued, “He was covered in blood, in the rubble.” “And the flat is completely destroyed,” is all I have to say.
The choice to remain in the hallway throughout the assault, according to 31-year-old Mariia Margulis, saved her family.

She said, “On the side where everything happened, the blast wave blew out all the windows.” “We were saved because I asked my mom to move to the corridor in time when she was supposed to sleep in that room.”

The incident happened only hours after Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s senior foreign policy advisor, visited Kyiv. According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, five people were hurt in the most recent assault on the Belgorod area on Thursday, which also caused damage to the city’s sports stadium and residences. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed to have intercepted ten missiles over the area.

Zelenskyy calls on the West to deliver more defensive systems
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Western allies to provide more air defence systems so they may be stationed around the nation in areas where missile attacks have increased in frequency. Following the assault on Kyiv on Thursday, he posted on Telegram, saying, “Every day, every night such terror happens.” “If we work together, we can stop it by acquiring more air defence systems.”

According to Zelenskyy, Russia lacks missiles capable of dodging US-made Patriots and other cutting-edge air defence systems. At a conference in Brussels on Thursday, leaders of the European Union were debating new approaches to support Ukraine’s increased manufacturing of weapons and ammunition. Russia has mostly focused on attacking other Ukrainian towns with ballistic missiles and drones. Russian ballistic missiles struck southern Odesa last week, killing 21, and on Wednesday they killed five and wounded nine in the eastern Kharkiv area.