A wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and the surrounding region has killed at least 12 people and wounded 21 others, according to Ukrainian authorities. Kyiv regional military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko reported the massive overnight assault on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attacks as "Russian terror" and confirmed that an Indian citizen was among the dead. He called on allies to bolster Ukraine's air defenses, which have been strained by repeated Russian strikes.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least eight people were killed and five injured, including two children, in the city. Ukrainian prosecutors reported four additional deaths in the region, with a residential building damaged in the suburb of Boryspil. Zelenskyy said 50 people were evacuated from that building.
"Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people's lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defense capabilities are insufficient," Zelenskyy wrote on social media. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it hit military and energy facilities in Kyiv and Odesa, as well as surrounding areas.
Ukraine's border service reported a strike on the ferry checkpoint at Orlivka on the border with Romania, a NATO member. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire in the port of Ust-Luga, a major export hub, while Moscow said it was repelling drones. In the Samara region, a drone attack damaged an apartment building in Novokuibyshevsk, home to Rosneft's major oil refineries.
The acting governor of Russia's Belgorod region said one person was killed in a Ukrainian attack. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Drone Forces commander claimed it hit 54 Russian "shadow fleet" vessels in August to prevent illegal oil sales funding the war. The attacks come as EU defense and foreign ministers meet in Ireland to discuss strengthening Ukraine's air defenses, which face a shortage of interceptors, particularly US-made Patriot systems.
Source: www.aljazeera.com