Ukraine’s capital was pounded with missiles in the early hours of Monday, prompting residents to take cover. Over the weekend, Kyiv had launched its biggest attack on multiple Russian regions since the beginning of the war.
Kyiv was pounded by a barrage of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles early Monday, according to Ukraine’s air force. Falling debris from the downed weapons injured at least two people, sparking fires and damaging homes and infrastructure.
Residents of Kyiv sought refuge in the city’s bomb shelters as several series of explosions shook the capital.
One person was reportedly injured by falling debris in the Shevchenkivskyi district, as emergency services rushed to the Holosiivskyi and Solomianskyi districts, according to Kyiv’s Mayor Vitalii Klitschko.
This follows Ukraine’s biggest attacks on Russia during the night of 31 August to 1 September. Russia’s military reported intercepting and destroying 158 Ukrainian drones, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, as well as the Belgorod and Kursk border regions according to the defence ministry.
Following the attack on Kyiv, the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, posted on his Telegram: “There will be an answer for everything. The enemy will feel it.”
The air force said Kyiv was targeted by several groups of cruise missiles alongside ballistic missiles launched and a couple of drones.
Serhii Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, reported that Ukraine’s air defences shot down over 10 cruise missiles, around 10 ballistic missiles, and a drone targeting Kyiv and its suburbs.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, at least 47 people, including five children, were injured on Sunday after Russian missiles struck a shopping mall and events complex, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the region.
This comes weeks after Ukrainian forces made an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, where Moscow’s troops have struggled to push them back. The Kremlin has vowed to respond.
Ukraine and Russia trade strikes
According to Ukrainian forces on Sunday, assaults continued in Kursk Oblast, but no confirmed Ukrainian advances were reported. Meanwhile, Russian forces recently made gains north of Kharkiv City, southeast of Kupyansk, southeast of Pokrovsk, and southwest of Donetsk City.
An attack by Kyiv destroyed a child care facility in the Russian city of Belgorod near Ukraine’s border on Monday. As a result, some kindergartens will shut for a week while several schools will hold online classes, the region’s governor said.
