Kyiv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – According to local Ukrainian officials and emergency services, at least three people were killed, including a five-year-old child, after Russia launched a barrage of drones hitting Kyiv overnight on Sunday.
The assault on the Ukrainian capital occurred just before ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine and Russia are slated to engage in indirect US-mediated discussions on Monday. The focus will be on a pause in long-range assaults aimed at energy facilities and civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian delegation will meet with US officials in Saudi Arabia one day prior to the indirect talks. Ukraine intends to deploy technical teams to address the specifics of the partial ceasefire.
The Ukrainian Air Force reports that Russia deployed 147 drones throughout Ukraine. Ukrainian air defences successfully intercepted 97 of these drones, while 25 others failed to reach their targets due to countermeasures. The assaults affected the regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Donetsk.
In the early hours of the night, prolonged explosions echoed as the air raid alert rang out for more than five hours. Russian drones, along with debris from intercepted drones operating at lower altitudes to bypass air defenses, crashed into residential buildings. According to Ukraine’s Kyiv City Military Administration, three individuals lost their lives, and ten others sustained injuries.
How has Russia intensified its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure?
A few days back, Overnight, Russia unleashed a fierce bombardment targeting essential Ukrainian infrastructure, raising concerns that America’s choice to limit intelligence support may make Ukraine more susceptible to attacks. Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, stated that Russian forces launched a “massive missile and drone” attack on power and gas facilities across the country.
The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russia deployed 261 attack vehicles, including 67 different types of missiles and 194 drones. Some of these drones were equipped with dummy warheads designed to confuse and overwhelm air defense crews.
The air force reported that Ukraine intercepted or neutralised the majority of attack drones but managed to destroy only 35 out of 67 missiles. Additionally, ten more missiles failed to reach their intended targets, according to the Air Force, though no further details were provided.
