Russia launches largest ever drone, missile fire on Ukraine’s Kiev, at least 27 dead, 91 injured: Details | Today’s news
Hours after Russia launched drone and missile fire targeting Ukraine, killing 27 people overnight, Moscow and Kiev vowed new attacks in their more than four-year war on Thursday (local time).
The attack on Ukraine’s capital Kiev tore apart apartment buildings and sent tens of thousands of people into shelters, with Kiev’s mayor calling it “the enemy’s most massive attack on the capital,” AFP reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country would “definitely” take revenge for the overnight strikes as he inspected an apartment building that was partially destroyed.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, confirmed that 27 people were killed and at least 91 were injured.
Here’s what we know about the latest attack
Late Wednesday (local time), explosions began echoing through the city and continued into the early hours of Thursday as Russian missiles and drones bombarded residential areas in the city center.
The attack came hours after Zelensky cut short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing new intelligence reports of a planned strike. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time.”
According to the Ukrainian air force, Moscow fired at least 496 drones and 74 missiles, including hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles. The Air Force added that it intercepted 476 drones and 48 missiles.
After the latest attack, the Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross noted that its key warehouse was destroyed and around $2 million worth of humanitarian aid was lost. European Union (EU) spokeswoman Anitta Hipper told AFP that debris also damaged a building that hosted several diplomats, adding that EU officials were safe.
According to Kyiv Metro, around 52,000 people, including 4,500 children, were crammed into underground stations seeking shelter from the latest fire, the highest number in years.
The latest attack comes weeks after Ukraine beefed up its long-range drones on Russian soil to attack energy infrastructure and military targets. Russian officials reported repeated strikes in border areas. At the same time, Moscow claims that its air defenses have intercepted hundreds of drones from Kiev in recent days.
While UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Russian strikes and renewed calls for a ceasefire, Moscow vowed to increase “pressure” on Kiev.
Russia Suffers 1.4 Million Casualties: Report
CNN recently reported that Moscow’s decision to launch a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has now cost the country about 450,000 lives. Research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that the total number of victims of the war exceeded two million.
CSIS estimates that Moscow suffered at least 1.4 million casualties. This includes the killed, wounded and missing in action, a figure that is approximately one percent of Moscow’s population. Meanwhile, Ukraine is estimated to have suffered between 525,000 and 625,000 casualties, including between 125,000 and 150,000 casualties.
In Russia, these losses are not spread evenly across the country. Higher death tolls were reported in poorer areas and among ethnic minorities. Reports in Russian opposition media increasingly describe small, remote villages where much of the male population has been lost to the war. The study also found that Russia is no longer able to replenish its forces at the same rate as it is sustaining battlefield losses.
