Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv, forcing residents to shelter in subway stations as powerful explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital, sparking fires across multiple districts and causing an apartment building to collapse.
Several massive explosions rocked Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday morning, igniting fires that blazed across the Ukrainian capital as Russia launched a devastating assault on the city using ballistic missiles and drones.
Kyiv residents flooded into underground stations clutching sleeping bags and their pets as air-raid sirens wailed throughout the city, seeking refuge from the ferocious blasts. Warnings had previously been issued that a large-scale offensive was imminent.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to heed the air-raid warnings and remain “especially careful,” according to The New York Times. He announced on Wednesday evening that intelligence suggested Russia was preparing another “massive strike.”
The air-raid sirens had begun sounding several hours earlier, according to reports, as residents braced themselves for a lengthy and terrifying night.
Attack drones formed the opening wave of the assault. The relentless, droning sounds of air defences engaging were heard shortly after their arrival, followed by an enormous explosion at around 11 pm.
Further blasts followed in quick succession.
A substantial blaze was spotted burning in the city centre shortly afterwards, with a smaller fire visible just beyond it.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to remain in shelters as the night progressed, with ballistic missiles entering Ukrainian airspace shortly after the drones.
A further series of powerful explosions shook Kyiv just before 2 a. m.
on Thursday, triggering car alarms throughout the city. Emergency services rushed to tackle the collapse of a nine-storey apartment block, where individuals were trapped, according to Klitschko.
He stated that firefighters also battled to put out fires in at least two parts of the capital, including one blaze which broke out on a hotel rooftop. Another consumed a residential property.
The number of casualties remains unclear, though Klitschko confirmed five medical staff sustained injuries.
Numerous residents in Kyiv had been preparing for a major attack similar to the one which took place on Wednesday night into Thursday.
Ukraine has been putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin through launching long-range drone strikes on Moscow, disrupting Russian fuel supplies and mounting significant attacks against Crimea, which Russia unlawfully annexed in 2014.
Kyiv stated the aim is to bring the war to Russia and compel Putin to consent to ending the conflict. Yet Putin has shown defiance and remained steadfast, even as his capacity to shield Russian society from the war’s impact has begun to crumble – his citizens are enduring the consequences of the full-scale war which commenced in February 2022.
“Putin wants to keep fighting,” Zelensky declared on Wednesday in Ireland before hastening home. “That is why he must face conditions that make it impossible for him to keep this war going.”
Ukraine is seeking membership of the European Union, and while the process could span several years, Zelensky touched down in Ireland on Wednesday – which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
“Ukraine proves every day that it deserves to be an equal partner of our common European home. And we hope that during Ireland’s presidency of the EU Council, we will be able to achieve tangible progress on the path to membership and open all negotiations clusters,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine has emerged as a supplier of military technology coveted by numerous nations globally, particularly in the drone sector. Many European nations worry that Moscow’s territorial aspirations might extend beyond Ukraine, prompting leaders to portray Kyiv as a barrier against Russian expansion.
Ukraine is “becoming a security provider for the whole of Europe,” Swedish Minister of Defence Paul Jonsson said in Kyiv, where he held discussions with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov.
Consequently, it has grown somewhat more embedded within the European defence community, including NATO – though the process has been gradual.
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