Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Explosions rocked Ukrainian cities Thursday morning as Russia continued its relentless destruction of the country’s energy infrastructure, launching dozens of missiles and hospitalizing at least three other people in the capital, Ukrainian officials said.
Airstrike sirens sounded in Ukraine at 6 a. m. Washington Post reporters heard the first of several explosions in Kyiv just over an hour later. Local officials in Odessa in the south, Kharkiv in the east, Lviv in the west and other regions have reported missile strikes on social media. It is not quickly clear whether the sounds of the explosions come from movements or air defenses.
“The enemy is attacking Ukraine from various instructions with air and sea cruise missiles from strategic aircraft and ships,” the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram, calling it a “massive missile attack. “
Moscow has pounded Ukraine’s infrastructure since early October in a bid to leave the country without light, heat and water during the winter months and weaken Ukrainians to continue the war effort, a strategy that so far appears to have failed considerably.
But the attacks were controlled to leave large portions of the country without electricity, though only temporarily. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported that 90 percent of his city was without power after a series of explosions. Odessa Governor Maksym Marchenko said the missiles had hit “energy infrastructure. “And forced cuts were happening in the region.
Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv and head of the army administration, said on his Telegram channel that two missiles hit an electrical substation, a network node and one of Russia’s main targets.
Andriy Moskalenko, Lviv’s first deputy mayor, said he expected power to be restored in most of Lviv until the end of Thursday, after the attack and a near-complete blackout. “If you compare it to the morning, the scenario is better,” he said. Said.
But he added that the city was suffering from a severe shortage of forces and that planned force cuts would continue. Although fighting continues for many miles in the east and south of the country, Moscow’s attack on Ukraine’s network of forces is being felt throughout the country.
“Right now we are in an emergency situation,” Moskalenko said.
Thursday’s attack was the first major missile strike in about two weeks. Russian forces also introduced a self-destructing drone strike on Ukraine’s electrical installations last week.
The Ukrainian military said some 69 missiles were fired and that 54 of them, along with 11 self-destructing drones, were intercepted through the country’s air defense systems. The Washington Post can independently determine any of the quoted figures through Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on his Telegram channel that Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 16 Russian missiles in the capital, while Odessa Governor Maksym Marchenko said 21 missiles were destroyed in his area.
But the missiles also caused a lot of damage and injuries. Klitschko said missile fragments hit a residential space and 3 people, in addition to a 14-year-old girl, were injured in the capital. After the attack, 40% of Kyiv’s citizens were left without electricity. Klitschko said, even though heating and water continued “as usual. “
Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv army administration, said 3 districts of the capital were affected, adding an “industrial facility” and a playground. Kiev Governor Oleksiy Kuleba said on a television screen that several houses and a medical center were broken. Gates the capital in the attack, which lasted five hours.
Akyiv, one of the downed missiles landed in Oleksandr Fatkulin’s space, leaving part of the brick space in ruins. Oleksandr slept at the moment of the ground while his elderly father, Leonid, at the first.
“Are you alive?” Leonid said he yelled at his son after the explosion tore through the walls.
A few hours later, the two men watched firefighters extinguish the last burning embers in their home. Oleksandr recorded a video of the scene on his phone. Fortunately, the father and son were injured because they were on the other side of the space that had suffered less damage.
“I was about to shower when it happened,” Leonid said. Now I’m going to want someone to let me shower at their house. “
The shrapnel of the missile arranged conscientiously on the side of the road, piece by piece. A woman passed by with some other piece: she had damaged the window of her space next door.
“Is this reminiscent of Putin?” A neighbor asked.
On Thursday, Belarusian officials said their air defenses shot down a Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile in the country’s southeast near the border with Poland.
“Today, an air target was hit by the air defense forces,” said a member of the Belarusian Defense Ministry. “Its fragments were discovered in an agricultural box near the village of Gorbakha, Brest region. “
Belarusian media said there were no injuries. Brest region army commissioner Oleg Konovalov also said “there is no explanation for why worry, unfortunately such things happen,” according to Reuters.
However, within hours, Ukraine’s ambassador to Belarus summoned the Foreign Ministry.
“The Belarusian aspect considers this incident to be incredibly serious,” ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz was quoted as saying by Belarus’ official BelTA news agency. responsible” and “take comprehensive measures” to prevent it from falling again in the future.
Also on Thursday, Roman Busargin, governor of Russia’s southern Saratov region, said air defense systems shot down an “unidentified object” near the town of Engels, home to a strategic air base, where Russian bombers were involved in Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems. They are located.
“An air defense formula was activated on the territory of the Engels district,” Busargin wrote on Telegram. “An emergency was sent to the scene. There is no risk to the protection of residents. “
Several local citizens posted photos and videos on social media of what appeared to be an air defense missile in the sky.
Over the past month, Russian officials said Ukrainian strike drones had twice struck the Engels air base, about 300 miles from the Ukrainian border. Russian defense officials said 3 servicemen were killed in the latest attack 3 days ago.