Russia this morning carried out one of the most brutal bombardments on Ukraine in the war so far, hitting Kiev and other cities with drones and missiles during Monday morning rush hour.
In the early hours of the morning, nationwide air raid sirens were sounded as Ukrainian air defenses swung into action to shoot down a flurry of drones. The drones were launched as Moscow sought revenge for Ukraine’s invasion of the Kursk region.
The attacks kept coming and hours later the Ukrainian air force warned that Russia had deployed nearly a dozen Tu-95 and six Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, which fired salvo after salvo of missiles.
MiG-31K fighter jets, capable of firing the fearsome supersonic Kinzhal missiles, and four naval vessels were also involved in the bombardment.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that more than half of the country’s regions – 15 in total – had been hit by missiles and drones. Deafening explosions were also heard in the capital Kiev.
At least three people were killed and more injured in the attacks, with casualties reported in the northwestern city of Lutsk, eastern Dnipro and the southern Zaporizhia regions.
An apartment complex has been destroyed in the northwestern city of Lutsk, reportedly killing one person
Video shows explosions, reportedly in Kiev, as Russia carried out bombing raid on Ukraine this morning
An explosion is seen after what appears to be a drone crashed into a building in Lutsk
Smoke rises above a building in western Ukraine during one of Russia’s airstrikes on the country since the war began
Thundering explosions were reported in Kiev, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia. Pictured: Smoke is seen from an attack on Dnipro
A visibly angry Putin is seen in a muffled video of a weekend meeting with top military leaders
Explosions were reported in Kiev, Kharkov, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Khmelnytskyi, Kremenchuk, Vinnytsia, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivskofficials and eyewitnesses reported, but the extent of the damage is still unknown.
An apartment building has been destroyed in Lutsk. Rescue teams are now evacuating survivors, the city’s mayor said.
Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo has ordered emergency power supplies across the country as parts of Kiev, Odessa and the president’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih remain without power. Water supplies in Kiev and elsewhere have also been affected.
NATO ordered its fighter jets to fly over Poland and other areas on the alliance’s eastern border as the sweeping attack took place.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces reported on X that Polish and allied aircraft had been activated after Russia carried out the attack, which also targeted regions in western Ukraine and near the Polish border.
Ukrainians have been expecting a major Russian missile attack for some time now.
Rescue workers in a building in Lutsk after it was hit by a Russian drone strike
The US Embassy last week warned of an increased risk of attacks around Ukrainian Independence Day, which Ukraine celebrated on Saturday.
Ukraine itself has stepped up long-range drone strikes on Russia in an attempt to attack Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“The desire to destroy our energy will cost the Russians dearly: their infrastructure,” Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, said on Telegram, apparently vowing retaliatory measures.
Russia carried out two waves of drone strikes earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian military reported. According to initial information, there was no damage or casualties.
Video identified by Russian Telegram channels SHOT and Mash as a high-rise residential building in the city, with a damaged side and multiple blown-out windows on three floors
A residential complex in the city of Saratov was damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defense systems, regional governor Roman Basurgin said.
About 10 drones were destroyed as they approached the city in the Kiev region at around 02:30 GMT, according to Serhiy Popko, head of the Kiev military administration.
At the same time, Moscow claims that a Ukrainian drone tried to bomb an oil refinery deep inside the country, in the city of Yaroslavl, north of Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down 20 Ukrainian drones, including three over the Kursk region, where Zelensky’s forces raided nearly three weeks ago.
A residential complex in the southwestern city of Saratov was damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defense systems, regional governor Roman Basurgin said via the messaging app Telegram.
Reuters journalists were staying at the Hotel Sapphire when the Russian ballistic missile Iskander-M struck on Sunday
Ukrainian rescuers take a break during a search and rescue operation among the rubble of a destroyed hotel after an attack in the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region on Sunday
A video posted on Telegram by Russian news channel SHOT showed what they identified as a high-rise residential building in the city, with a damaged side and several windows on three floors blown out.
In English, the top floor of a residential building was damaged.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians, saying their strikes are aimed at destroying infrastructure vital to the other’s war effort.