At least 18 people were killed in massive Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday night. According to authorities, the deadly attacks were primarily aimed at the capital Kiev and the large city of Dnipro. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, six people were killed and 66 others were injured in the nightly Russian attacks in Kiev alone. According to authorities, at least twelve people died in Dnipro in the east of the country, including two children. Helpers searched for more victims in the rubble of a collapsed four-story residential building.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia attacked with 656 drones and 73 missiles. 602 drones and 40 missiles were intercepted. The Russian army also used ballistic missiles in the night attacks, the military administration in Kiev said. AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and explosions throughout the night in Kiev. Residents rushed into crowded subway stations with bags and blankets. Large clouds of smoke rose from the city in the morning and helpers cleared away rubble in front of damaged homes.
According to the private electricity supplier DTEK, more than 100,000 people in Kiev were temporarily without electricity, and there were also power outages in other regions. A resident named Anastassia told AFP she spent the “noisy” and “scary” night in her bathroom. “All the windows have been completely blown out, there are no windows at all,” she said. “It wasn’t just an explosion here that night. The night here was just a nightmare.”
Ukraine calls for help with air defense
Moscow described the overnight attacks as a “massive attack” on facilities of the military-industrial complex in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said hypersonic missiles were also used. Russia fundamentally denies attacking civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again pushed for US support in air defense. Support from the United States in the delivery of missiles for Patriot systems is “absolutely necessary,” Zelensky said in online services. Europe also needs “its own missile defense so that this war can finally be ended.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said after the latest attacks that any delay in supporting Ukraine’s air defense would cost human lives. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibyha accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of spreading “terror.” Putin is “a war criminal and loser who has no cards in his hand other than terror.”
According to an AFP analysis based on data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, the Russian army lost territory for the second month in a row in May. Accordingly, Moscow lost control over around 282 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. Overall, according to ISW data, Moscow continues to occupy just over 19 percent of Ukrainian territory. (AFP)
