A missile hit Kyiv, and Russia claims that Ukrainian drones were shot down in two areas.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s main city, Kyiv, with missiles, according to local officials on Saturday. At the same time, drones, which Russian officials blamed on Ukraine, targeted areas near Moscow and the Smolensk region.
Fortunately, a ballistic missile heading toward Kyiv was successfully intercepted, and there were no injuries, as reported by Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. The Ukrainian air force later confirmed that the attack involved an Iskander-M ballistic missile, marking the first attempt to strike Kyiv with a missile in almost two months.
In Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said it attacked an ammunition depot linked to Ukraine’s armed forces near Devichki village in the Kyiv region. They also claimed to shoot down Ukrainian drones over Smolensk and Moscow.
No one was reported injured in the attack on the ammunition depot, according to Smolensk Governor Vasiliy Anokhin. In a separate incident, train carriages derailed in Russia’s Ryazan region due to “unauthorized interference.”
Ukrainian officials celebrated the first anniversary of liberating Kherson city from Russian forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked soldiers and locals, noting the city’s symbolic significance. However, the overall front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces has remained largely unchanged for almost a year, despite Ukrainian efforts. Russian forces still control areas across the river from Kherson city and continue to shell towns and villages they previously occupied.
Ukraine reported that it successfully brought down about two-thirds of the 31 attack drones launched by Russia overnight, with most of them targeted in frontline areas. The Ukrainian air force destroyed 19 of the enemy drones, specifically the Shahed-136/131 attack unmanned aerial vehicles. Additionally, Russia used several missiles in the attacks.
In central Kyiv, two loud explosions were heard on Saturday morning, according to AFP journalists. They also observed trails in the sky just before air raid sirens went off.
Loud explosions were heard on the left side of the capital. Preliminary information suggests that the air defenses successfully countered ballistic weapons, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. Thankfully, there are no reports of injuries so far.
This attack happened after a long period of peace in the Ukrainian capital.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces have been persistently attacking the city of Avdiivka for about a month. The Ukrainian army spokesperson mentioned on Friday that the Russian forces are still attempting to surround the city and take control of a crucial factory. Unfortunately, two civilians lost their lives the day before in the ongoing conflict.
SOURCE : FRANCE 24