KYIV — At least 17 people have been killed and several dozen injured in a Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, which came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an impending “massive” attack by Moscow.
Ukraine’s emergency services said the toll had risen to 17, after Zelensky reported several dead and at least 90 injured in the attacks on Thursday.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning.
Damage from the strikes also included six floors of an apartment building that had partially collapsed after a direct hit from a Russian projectile, Klitschko said. He said an ambulance station was also among the places hit in the strikes.
“Kyiv is under attack from ballistic missiles and UAVs,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram, using the acronym for unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.
Although previous attacks have caused more victims or seen more weapons deployed, this latest barrage hit locations over a very wide area of Kyiv.
Several neighborhoods were evacuated as strikes rocked buildings throughout the city, hours after Zelensky warned Russia was preparing an attack.
Russia said its forces hit what they called military plants in retaliation against attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Ukraine accused Moscow of targeting civilian areas and said it would be wrong to equate the actions of the “aggressor and a country defending itself”.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 74 missiles and 496 drones overnight, mainly targeting the capital.
While the country’s air defences were able to repel most of these, 25 ballistics missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the capital’s military administration, said at least two children were among the injured and three dozen locations across the city had been damaged in the attacks.
“We express our condolences to all the victims, families who lost their relatives and loved ones in this terrible terrorist attack. We will take revenge!” the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.
Pictures shared on unofficial Telegram channels showed city residents crowding into underground stations to take cover from the Russian strikes. In the streets, residents were seen making their way to the shelters, carrying sleeping mats under their arms, the AFP news agency reported.
Later on Thursday, the Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed by his top military commander about the massive overnight strike, adding that Moscow would continue to increase pressure on Ukraine in order to achieve its goals.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Europe of escalating tensions, and said Russia was unable to turn a blind eye to such moves.
Source: Saudi Gazette