Ukraine war: Kyiv fends off second Russian air raid in 2 days, ‘downing 37 missiles and 29 drones’
- Russia launched a new wave of air attacks on Kyiv with cruise missiles and drones
- It was the 15th air assault on the city in May and the second overnight attack in a row
Ukraine shot down more than 37 cruise Russian missiles and 29 drones overnight as Russia targeted military facilities and infrastructure in the second massive bombardment in as many days, Kyiv’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said.
Russia fired the missiles from strategic bombers far behind its border near the Caspian Sea, while the Iranian-made drones were launched from the north and south.
Russia is “trying to exhaust our air defences,” Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said on Telegram early on Monday.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko thanked defenders and said there had been no casualties or damage to the city. Ukraine said it also launched air strikes on Russian troops and weapons, including anti-aircraft systems and command posts.
However strikes hit a military facility in the region of Khmelnytsky in western Ukraine, the local administration said in a rare admission of military targets being struck.
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“Russian troops hit several sites including a military one in the Khmelnytsky region,” the administration said on social media, adding that fuel depots and five aircraft had been hit.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the attacks.
With a long-promised Ukrainian counteroffensive looming to recapture territory taken by Russia in the 15th months of the war, Moscow has intensified its attacks, targeting military infrastructure and supplies.
On May 16, Russia launched an exceptionally intense bombardment, sending 18 missiles Ukraine’s way, 14 of which targeted Kyiv according to Ukraine’s air force spokesman.
The uptick in attacks was noticed after April 19, right after Ukraine announced it had received American-made Patriot missiles, a long-sought new shield against Russian air strikes. Observers said the renewed intensity of Russian attacks appears to be aiming to overwhelm and target these new systems.
The May 16 attack caused “minor” damage to one Patriot air defence system near Kyiv, US officials said, adding that it was still operational.
The latest string of attacks also come after a previous wintertime escalation in air raids this year targeted critical infrastructure, including power stations and military logistics facilities.
Ukrainian forces have become more effective in shooting down Russian missiles compared to earlier in the year, with many crediting the American systems.
But the defence systems can’t shield civilians from every harm. The debris from destroyed Russian missiles have rained down on civilians, causing fires and injuries.
In Kyiv, Pavlo Chervinskyi, 45, tells his four-year-old daughter that it’s all a game when their flat windows rattle with the distant boom of the nighttime explosions. Every time there is an air raid, he carries her to the corridor and waits for the all-clear.
With every bang, he tells her “Putin is making a racket again,” referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is better than to try to explain to her what is really going on, he said, watching her make sand castles in the family’s neighbourhood playground. It’s not exactly a lie, he explained. “We are being subjected to a game of Russian roulette every night.”
But still, it’s better to avoid telling his child the whole truth. “It’s better that it’s a joke between us,” he said. “Now she is used to it, and she isn’t afraid.”
Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse
