1 week ago
4
KYIV, Ukraine -- A monolithic Russian drone-and-missile onslaught targeted the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and different regions successful the state for a 2nd consecutive night, sidesplitting astatine slightest 12 radical and injuring dozens, officials said aboriginal Sunday.
The standard of the onslaught was stunning — Russia deed Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, making this the largest azygous aerial onslaught of the much than three-years-long war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force.
In all, Russia utilized 69 missiles of assorted types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, helium told The Associated Press.
It was “the astir monolithic onslaught successful presumption of the fig of aerial onslaught weapons connected the territory of Ukraine since the opening of the full-scale penetration successful 2022,” Ihnat said.
There was nary contiguous remark from Moscow.
For Kyiv, the time was peculiarly somber arsenic the metropolis observes Kyiv Day, a nationalist vacation that falls connected the past Sunday of May commemorating its founding successful the 5th century,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian missiles and drones deed much than 30 cities and villages crossed Ukraine and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions connected Russia.
That has been a long-standing request of the Ukrainian person but 1 that — contempt warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe — person not materialized successful ways to deter Russia.
Zelenskyy wrote connected X that Sunday's targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.
“These were deliberate strikes connected mean cities. Ordinary residential buildings were destroyed and damaged,” helium said.
“Without genuinely beardown unit connected the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot beryllium stopped. Sanctions volition surely help,” Zelenskyy said. “Determination matters present — the determination of the United States, of European countries, and of each those astir the satellite who question peace.”
The onslaught came connected the 3rd time of a planned captive swap betwixt Russia and Ukraine, the lone tangible result from bid talks successful Istanbul earlier this period that person truthful acold failed to nutrient a ceasefire. The speech amounted to a rare infinitesimal of cooperation betwixt the warring sides.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its aerial defenses changeable down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Sounds of explosions boomed passim the nighttime successful Kyiv and the surrounding country arsenic Ukrainian aerial defence forces persisted for hours successful efforts to sprout down force drones and missiles. At slightest 4 radical were killed and 16 were injured successful the superior itself, according to Ukraine's information service.
“A hard Sunday greeting successful Ukraine aft a sleepless night. The astir monolithic Russian aerial onslaught successful galore weeks lasted each night,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said connected X.
Fires broke retired successful homes and businesses, acceptable disconnected by falling drone debris.
In the portion of Zhytomyr, westbound of Kyiv, 3 children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17, according to the exigency service. Twelve were injured successful the attacks, the work said. At slightest 4 radical were killed successful the Khmelnytskyi region, successful occidental Ukraine. One antheral was killed successful Mykolaiv region, successful confederate Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a pupil dormitory successful Holosiivskyi territory was deed by a drone and 1 of the building’s walls was connected fire. In Dniprovskyi district, a backstage location was destroyed and successful Shevchenkivskyi district, windows successful a residential gathering were smashed.
The standard of Russia's usage of aerial weapons aside, the attacks implicit the past 48 hours person been among the astir aggravated strikes connected Ukraine since the February 2022 full-scale war. The past successful a three-day captive swap was expected to instrumentality spot aboriginal connected Sunday.
In the colony of Markhalivka, conscionable extracurricular Kyiv, wherever respective homes were burned down successful the overnight strikes, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined location successful tears.
“The thoroughfare looks similar Bakhmut, similar Mariupol, it’s conscionable terrible,” says 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their colony to immoderate of Ukraine's astir devastated cities successful the war. She told the AP however grateful she was her girl had not joined them for the play with her family.
“I was trying to transportation my girl to travel to us," Fedorenko said, adding she told her daughter, “After all, you unrecorded connected the eighth level successful Kyiv, and present it’s the crushed floor.'”
"She said, ‘No, mum, I’m not coming.’ And convey God she didn’t come, due to the fact that the rocket deed (the house) connected the broadside wherever the children’s rooms were,” Fedorenko said.
Ivan Fedorenko, 80, said helium regrets letting their 2 dogs into the location aft the aerial raid siren went off. “They burned to death,” helium said. "I privation to hide them, but I’m not allowed yet.”
Zelenskyy and Russia’s defence ministry said each broadside brought location 307 much soldiers the erstwhile day, connected Saturday, a time aft each broadside released a full of 390 combatants and civilians. Once completed, the swap volition magnitude to the largest speech of prisoners successful much than 3 years of war.
“We expect much to travel tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said connected his authoritative Telegram transmission connected Saturday. Russia’s defence ministry besides said it expected the speech to beryllium continued, though it did not springiness details.
The erstwhile night, explosions and anti-aircraft occurrence were heard passim Kyiv arsenic galore sought structure successful subway stations arsenic Russian drones and missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital.
The ongoing POW exchange, the latest of dozens of swaps since the warfare began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians truthful acold did not bring a halt successful the fighting.
Battles person continued on the astir 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) beforehand line, wherever tens of thousands of soldiers person been killed, and neither state has relented successful its heavy strikes.
___
Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
English (US) ·