Vladimir Putin has unleashed a series of deadly missile attacks in multiple major Ukrainian cities, leaving dozens injured and at least 13 dead. The Russian leader targeted capital Kyiv, as well as Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa and “many others”, in “revenge raids” following the destruction of a Russian warship in Crimea.
New images have shown the Russian warship was completely destroyed. Despite the Kremlin’s insistence that this is not the case, they still embarked on a mass missile campaign last night in its biggest air attack since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, says The Independent.
Ukraine was targeted with 48 drones and 110 missiles which targeted critical infrastructure, industry and military facilities, according to the Ukrainian military. Ukraine’s army chief said they managed to down 27 drones and 87 cruise missiles during what he described as “the most massive attack from the air”.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence Twitter page confirmed Russia had hit “residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and shopping malls around the country”. The assault came from hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as the “extremely hard-to-intercept” X-22 type, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The latest death toll is confirmed at eight so far. Dnipro is the worst hit in terms of deaths, with four killed and dozens injured after a maternity hospital was among the targets damaged. Two have been found dead in Odesa, one in Kyiv and another in Lviv. In Lviv, a residential building was hit by a missile.
Footage on social media appears to show devastating scenes of destruction, especially at a residential tower block. Cars were destroyed and huge swathes of smoke blew around in videos shared. One photo shows a shopping centre which has been bombed, while another video shows a huge fireball emerging from a tower block.
President Zelensky said “Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal,” while Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said Moscow “apparently launched everything they have” against targets across Ukraine.
Russia’s war with Ukraine has been going since February 2014, when the latter occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country at the start of 2022, and Ukraine regularly refers to Russia as a “terrorist state”.
