Ukraine war: Russia launches ninth wave of missile attacks on Kyiv this month
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Loading... - Herrera Victor
- 18 May 2023
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Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, has faced its ninth aerial attack by Russia this month.
Officials in Kyiv reported that although all incoming missiles had been intercepted and destroyed, debris falling from the air caused some damage in two districts.
In the Black Sea port of Odesa, one person was killed and two others were wounded in a missile strike.
Explosions were also heard in Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, and Zhytomyr, regions located in central-western Ukraine.
According to a statement by Ukraine's Air Force, out of the 30 missiles launched by Russia overnight, 29 were successfully shot down.
Separately, in Crimea, Russian-appointed officials stated that a freight train carrying grain derailed near Simferopol, resulting in the suspension of rail traffic between Simferopol and the city of Sevastopol. Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Vladimir Konstantinov, the head of the regional parliament in Crimea, claimed that the derailment was caused by an explosion. An investigation is currently underway.
The recent attack on Kyiv involved cruise missiles and reconnaissance drones, as reported by the capital's military administration.
In a statement, it was noted that Kyiv was experiencing an ongoing series of unprecedented air attacks in terms of their magnitude, intensity, and variety.
Earlier, Ukraine announced that it had successfully shot down six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in a densely packed assault.
Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko mentioned a fire in a garage in the Darnytsya area, but clarified that no injuries were reported.
The head of Kyiv's civilian military administration, Serhiy Popko, revealed that Russian strategic bombers launched a heavy missile attack from over the Caspian Sea.
Popko suspected that the attack included cruise missiles and stated that Russia had deployed surveillance drones over Kyiv following the wave of air strikes.
Another fire broke out in a non-residential building in Kyiv's eastern Desnyansky district, with no information available regarding potential casualties.
Reports indicated that at least eight people, including a five-year-old boy near Kherson, were killed, and 17 others were injured in shelling on Wednesday. Both sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas.
Three individuals, including two adults and a five-year-old, lost their lives when a Russian shell struck near a playground.
Ukraine is gradually preparing for a significant offensive against Russia's invading forces.
Western officials confirmed that Ukraine's military is in an elevated state of readiness for a long-awaited counter-offensive against the Russian invasion.
They mentioned that many of Kyiv's military capabilities were aligning, such as tank deployment, combat vehicles, combat engineers, mine clearance, river bridging, and long-range targeting.
While Russian troops were described as being in a vulnerable position, caution was advised as Moscow's defensive lines in Ukraine were potentially formidable, protected by extensive minefields.
The officials argued that the success of any Ukrainian offensive should not only be measured by territorial gains but also by its impact on Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategic thinking.
They believed that the cognitive effect on the Kremlin was more crucial than Ukrainian forces pushing through Russian lines all the way to the border.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with a Chinese diplomat in Kyiv and rejected any peace plan that involved territorial concessions to Russia.
However, an agreement allowing Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain through the Black Sea was extended for an additional two months, a day before its expiration date.
