Five killed as Russia launches major airstrikes on Ukraine

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Tuesday, August 27th, 2024

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Russia unleashed missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, killing at least five people on the second day of major strikes, officials said on Tuesday. This follows Moscow’s largest air assault of the war.

In Kryvyi Rih, two people died when a missile destroyed a hotel, while drone attacks claimed three lives in Zaporizhzhia. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed retaliation and urged allies to consider joint air defense operations and provide long-range capabilities. This request follows Russia’s extensive bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Monday, with over 200 missiles and drones deployed.

Ukraine’s air force reported downing five out of ten missiles and 60 out of 81 drones during Tuesday’s assault. Ten additional drones were lost from radar, likely having landed within Ukrainian territory, with one entering Belarus. Ten more remained airborne over Ukraine as of Tuesday morning.

The Russian defense ministry confirmed high-precision strikes on Ukraine overnight, according to Interfax. Moscow, while denying civilian targeting, has faced widespread criticism as thousands of civilians have died since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Some Russian military bloggers described the attacks as retaliation for Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, the first since World War II.

In Kyiv, air defenses successfully intercepted all incoming threats aimed at the city. No casualties were reported, and emergency services quickly extinguished small fires caused by debris. In Kryvyi Rih, two civilians remain trapped under rubble, with five others injured. Additional injuries were reported in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv due to the strikes.