A series of explosions rang out in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, on Saturday morning, startling residents from the relative quiet that had taken place. for the past two weeks during the festive break. In a rare instance, several explosions were heard minutes before an air strike alert sounded in the city.
According to Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian attack was most likely related to ballistic missiles fired from the north, which is why the airstrike warnings came late. . Ballistic missiles are much harder to shoot down than drones or cruise missiles.
Ukraine’s presidential office said the explosions were part of an “attack on vital infrastructure” in the city. No casualties were immediately reported, but by morning it was clear that several locations across the city had been hit.
The strikes broke a relatively quiet morning as Ukraine was celebrating the Orthodox New Year, or Malanka, a traditional holiday that is more in line with the old Julian calendar than the newer Gregorian calendar.
When the air raid warning was lifted around 11:30 a.m., people slowly returned to the streets, many rushing out of the subway station where they had sought shelter to continue their day.
Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine far from the front lines since early October with large-scale missile and drone strikes, mainly targeting electrical infrastructure and other critical services.
The attacks crippled Ukraine’s electricity grid and left the country struggling with intermittent power outages in response to power shortages.
The military government of Kiev said on telegram That rocket debris damaged a car and that debris damaged a non-residential building. The attack damaged 18 houses in the wider Kyiv area, the head of the local military government, Oleksiy Kuleba, said. wrote on Telegram.
Kyiv is not the only part of the country that was attacked by Russia on Saturday. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said four rockets hit an industrial area in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. in a statement posted to Telegram. Terekhov said that the missile targeted the infrastructure and information on casualties and damage is still being verified.
Oleksandra Mykolyshyn contribution report.
