Russia launched yet another series of attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv during the early hours of Tuesday. The national capital's air defence systems were seen shooting down the incoming missiles while air raid sirens echoed in several other regions. The new wave of air attacks on Kyiv came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the country’s air defence units for saving hundreds of lives by shooting down a barrage of Russian drones and missiles aimed at the capital and other locations.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned the citizens via Telegram (A messaging app) and said, "A Massive Attack! Do not leave shelters." A 27-year-old woman got injured in the southwestern Holosiivskyi district due to debris falling everywhere. Debris falling struck several districts of the capital including the historic Podil and Pecherskyi, reported news agency Reuters.
Russia launched a number of attacks on the Ukrainian capital in May, most of which occurred at night. Tuesday marked Russia's 17th air assault on Kyiv this month. The city was attacked twice on Monday as well, including a daytime strike. These air attacks come as the nation prepares a counter-offensive strategy backed with Western weapons to attempt to drive the Russians out of the territory which was seized since Moscow launched its "special military operation" in February 2022, reported Reuters.
The head of Kyiv's military administration Serhiy Popko, said, "With these constant attacks, the enemy seeks to keep the civilian population in deep psychological tension."
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In a rare instance, Ukraine acknowledged some damage to one of its military units on Monday and said that a runway was damaged along with five aircraft which made them go out of service in the western Khmelnytskyi region. Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited the defence ministry as saying that more than one airbase had been hit however Ukraine was still to comment on damage that it has received on other air bases as well, reported Reuters.
As per Ukrainian officials, most of the drones and missiles that were fired on Sunday and Monday were shot down with the new US-supplied Patriot Anti-Missile defences.
In his nightly address on Monday, Zelenskyy said that while some of the Russian aerial attacks, which he branded “evil”, had managed to get through Ukraine’s defences, most of the drones and missiles had been shot down. While praising the defence system in his video address he said, "When Patriots in the hands of Ukrainians ensure a 100% interception rate of any Russian missile, terror will be defeated."