Russia hits kyiv with missiles and drones in 15th attack in a month

First modification: 05/29/2023 – 16:00

Air raid sirens and subsequent explosions resounded in kyiv on the morning of Monday, May 29. The sixteenth Russian attack so far this month and when the inhabitants of the capital still had not come out of the impact of another attack at dawn.

In the panic, dozens of people scrambled for cover as plumes of smoke and bursts of explosions filled the sky and the capital’s air defenses were activated.

“The attack on kyiv continues. Do not abandon the shelters!” warned the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

Fragments of missiles intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses rained down on the central and northern districts of kyiv, landing in traffic on a city street. They also set a fire on the roof of a building, where at least one person was injured, the kyiv military administration said.

The explosions, which went off around 11:00 a.m. local time, baffled residents who were already under pressure. Just about six hours earlier, the city was hit by a barrage of Russian drones and missiles. The second major night attack in a row and of similar intensity.

“After what happened last night, I now react sharply to every siren. She was terrified and I’m still shaking,” described Alina Ksenofontova, a 50-year-old woman who took refuge with her dog in the Kiev metro, a place that was packed with people seeking shelter.

The local Army shot down 37 of 40 Russian missiles and 29 of 35 drones, according to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny.

“The enemy used ballistic trajectory missiles, preliminarily Iskanders. There is a possibility that S-300 and S-400 missiles have also been used,” Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told Ukrainian television.

Moscow says its targets are Western weapons storage sites and government buildings, but they also cause extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and have claimed the lives of thousands of people in 15 months of war.

Moscow also directed its fury against Odessa and the Ukrainian West.

Russian night attacks hit a military installation in the Khmelnytsky region in the west of the invaded country, where five Ukrainian warplanes were put out of action by fire from Moscow.

“Russian troops attacked several sites, including a military one in the Khmelnytsky region,” the local administration noted, a rare admission of military targets hit.

Likewise, the attacks of the invading troops caused a fire and damaged part of the infrastructure in the port of Odessa on the Black Sea.

“A fire broke out in the Odesa port infrastructure as a result of the attack. It quickly died out. Information on the extent of the damage is being updated,” the Ukrainian South Military Command explained.

This is a key area for the export of Ukrainian grains, since only through the ports of that region, the country attacked by Vladimir Putin’s men can transport grain and other food abroad, as part of an agreement reached with the mediation of the UN and Turkey.

According to the Ukrainian Army, in this assault the Kremlin military used Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Russia increases the frequency of air raids as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive.

“I would say that there has been a serious activation… There are fewer missiles flying, but the regularity of the attacks has increased,” said Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat.

With Reuters, AP and local media