Russia launched a major aerial attack on Kyiv this morning, Monday, using Iskander missiles. Ukrainian authorities, in a rare statement, acknowledged that a military site in western Ukraine suffered losses in a series of overnight strikes.
Hours after Kyiv’s announcement, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement that they had bombed “airports” in Ukraine and “destroyed” all their targets.
The Russian statement said, “All designated targets were destroyed,” without specifying the strike locations. It added, “Command sites, radar centers, aircraft equipment, and facilities used for storing weapons and ammunition of the Ukrainian armed forces were hit.”
Following the overnight bombardment, journalists from the French Press Agency reported hearing alarm sirens in the Ukrainian capital in the morning, followed by a series of explosions at around 11:10 a.m. local time (08:10 GMT).
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, spoke of explosions in downtown neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the military administration in the Ukrainian capital confirmed the activation of air defense systems.
Russia has intensified its aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of this month, and almost all of them have been carried out during the night.
At 01:33, according to the mayor, one person was injured and transported to the hospital. Debris from destroyed missiles fell in at least three neighborhoods north and east of the capital, causing a fire, according to the military administration.
The same source stated, “All (Russian) aerial targets were successfully hit by the air defense systems,” adding that “the Russians are clearly aiming to eliminate civilian populations.”
A rare admission by Ukrainian authorities
Earlier today, the regional administration of Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine reported that a military site had come under Russian attack during the night. They indicated that it consisted of warehouses and a military airfield.
The regional administration stated via Telegram, “Russian forces have targeted several locations, including a military site in the Khmelnytskyi area.”
They also reported fires breaking out in fuel depots, while military equipment and the aircraft runway were damaged. They added, “Efforts to contain the fires are ongoing.”
The same source stated that five aircraft were now out of service, without providing further details. They mentioned that repair work on the aircraft runway had commenced.
However, the Khmelnytskyi regional administration did not disclose any potential casualty figures and simply stated that these details would be clarified.
This is an extremely rare statement from Ukrainian authorities, who have scarcely revealed their military losses since the beginning of the Russian offensive in February 2022.
Massive Aerial Attack
This bombardment in the west is part of a massive aerial attack on Ukraine launched by Moscow overnight on Sunday/Monday, following an unprecedented attempt to carry out drone strikes on Kyiv.
Today, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army, Valeriy Zaluzhny, stated on Telegram, “Last night, the occupiers attacked military sites and critical infrastructure locations” by launching up to 40 cruise missiles from aircraft over the Black Sea and around 35 drones from the north and south.
Furthermore, Zaluzhny later mentioned that the Ukrainian army had shot down 11 Iskander missiles this morning. He stated via Telegram, “A total of 11 Iskander-M and Iskander-K missiles were launched from the north” towards the city of Kyiv and its surrounding area, adding, “Air defense destroyed all the targets.”