Three people dead leave the 18th Russian attack on kyiv in a month

First modification: 06/01/2023 – 14:39

Moscow’s incessant airstrikes against kyiv on Thursday, June 1, killed another three people. The victims are a mother, her nine-year-old daughter and another woman who accompanied them.

“It is International Children’s Day and Russia once again killed a minor in Kiev,” said Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodimir Zelensky’s office, referring to the official date of the commemoration in many countries.

The local Army reported that its defenses intercepted and shot down all ten projectiles fired by the invading troops from the Russian region of Bryansk, located in northern Ukraine.

However, the debris of a rocket fell near an air raid shelter that the three deceased people were trying to enter and the authorities are investigating the version that the victims could not enter the place to take refuge because it was closed.

“The entrance was closed, there were between five and 10 women with children (…) Nobody opened them. They knocked quite loudly. They tried to enter the shelter, nobody opened them. My wife died,” said Yaroslav Ryabchuk, a resident of the Desnyanskyi district.

In addition, ten residents were injured when the onslaught of Iskander cruise and ballistic missiles hit the Ukrainian capital. The eighteenth assault against the city since the beginning of May.

Falling shell debris also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. Authorities said a clinic, a kindergarten, residential buildings and cars were damaged.

“A fragment of the rocket fell at the entrance to the medical center four minutes after the air alert was announced. And the people went to the shelter. Now the investigation is establishing whether the shelter was open. Were there people in it? Because, according to the rescuers, after the damage to the polyclinic, they took out a group of people,” Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko added in a Telegram post.

Russia says it repelled three incursion attempts from Ukraine

Across the border, in Belgorod, region in southwestern Russia and bordering northeastern Ukraine, The authorities claimed that his troops repelled three new incursion attempts by what he says are pro-Ukrainian attackers.

However, two Russian and anti-Kremlin groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion have claimed assaults in the area for weeks.

Moscow pointed out that the heavy bombardments registered during the early hours of Thursday morning left eight people injured, caused damage to buildings, caused fires and forced the partial evacuation of civilians.

Unofficially verified videos posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising above a large building in the Shebekino district as flames tore through the destroyed roof.

“As soon as it calms down, we will continue with the evacuation of people (…) All temporary accommodation facilities are ready,” said the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Gladkov added that suspected attackers from Ukraine repeatedly bombarded with Soviet-designed 122mm Grad rockets.

The Kremlin accused the invaded nation of using what it called “terror formations” to carry out attempted attacks against Russian civilians.

“The disinterested actions of the Russian military repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist formations (…) Violations of the state border were not allowed,” said the Ministry of Defense of the Government of Vladimir Putin.

In addition, the ministry noted that more than 30 Ukrainian fighters were killed and four armored vehicles were destroyed during the response by Russian soldiers. However, that information has not been independently verified, due to difficulties in accessing the area.

Although Moscow blames what it calls Ukrainian “terrorists” for attacking that border area, kyiv insists they are volunteers opposing Putin.

Those movements were established during the full-scale invasion of Russia and attracted volunteers who say they are fighting against their own country to oust the Kremlin leader, who has been in power for more than 20 years.

With Reuters and AP