Russia this morning launched one of its most brutal bombing raids on Ukraine in the war so far, bombarding kyiv and other cities with waves of drones and missiles during Monday morning rush hour.
Nationwide air raid alerts were triggered in the early hours as Ukraine’s air defences swung into action to shoot down a torrent of drones, which were launched as Moscow sought revenge for Ukraine’s invasion of its Kursk region.
The attacks continued and hours later the Ukrainian air force warned that Russia had deployed nearly a dozen Tu-95 strategic bombers and six Tu-22M3s that launched salvo after salvo of missiles.
The bombing also involved MiG-31K warplanes, capable of firing fearsome Kinzhal supersonic missiles, and four warships.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that more than half of the country’s regions (15 in total) were hit by missiles and drones, and that loud explosions were also heard in the capital, kyiv.
At least three people have been killed in the attacks and several others wounded, with casualties reported in the northwestern city of Lutsk, eastern Dnipro and southern Zaporizhzhia regions.
A residential apartment building was destroyed in the northwestern city of Lutsk, where one person was reported killed.
Video shows explosions, purportedly in kyiv, as Russia launched a bombing raid on Ukraine this morning
An explosion can be seen after what appears to be a drone crashed into a building in Lutsk
Smoke rises above a building in western Ukraine amid one of Russia’s airstrikes on the country since the war began
Loud explosions were recorded in kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhia. Pictured: Smoke is seen during an attack in Dnipro
A visibly enraged Putin is seen in a muted video of a weekend meeting with top military chiefs.
Explosions were reported in kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Kremenchuk, Vinnytsia, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.officials and eyewitnesses reported, although the extent of the damage is still unknown.
A residential apartment block was destroyed in Lutsk and rescue teams are now working to evacuate survivors, the city’s mayor said.
Ukraine’s power grid operator Ukrenergo has ordered emergency blackouts across the country as parts of kyiv, Odesa and the president’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih were left without power. Water supplies were also affected in Kiev and other areas.
NATO ordered its warplanes to fly over Poland and other locations along the alliance’s eastern border as the long-range attack unfolded.
The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command reported on Monday that Polish and allied aircraft had been activated after Russia launched the attack that also targeted regions in western Ukraine and near the border with Poland.
Ukrainians have been expecting a major Russian missile attack for some time now.
Rescue workers inside a building in Lutsk after it was hit by a Russian drone strike
The U.S. Embassy issued a warning last week about an elevated risk of attack around Ukraine’s Independence Day, which Ukraine celebrated on Saturday.
Ukraine has stepped up its long-range drone attacks against Russia in an attempt to counterattack Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“The desire to destroy our energy will cost the Russians dearly – their infrastructure,” Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Telegram, apparently promising retaliation.
Russia launched two waves of drone strikes on Monday morning, the Ukrainian military said, with initial reports showing no damage or casualties.
Video that Russian Telegram channels SHOT and Mash identified as a high-rise residential building in the city, with one side damaged and several windows blown out on three floors.
A residential complex in the city of Saratov was damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defense systems, regional governor Roman Basurgin said.
Up to 10 drones were destroyed on their approach to the city in the kyiv region at around 0230 GMT, Serhiy Popko, head of kyiv’s military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.
At the same time, Moscow said that a Ukrainian drone attempted to attack an oil refinery in the interior of the country, in the city of Yaroslavl, north of Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry added that its air defense systems had shot down 20 Ukrainian drones, including three over the Kursk region, where Zelensky’s forces launched an incursion nearly three weeks ago.
A residential complex in the southwestern city of Saratov was damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defense systems, regional governor Roman Basurgin said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters journalists were staying at the Sapphire Hotel when the Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile hit on Sunday.
Ukrainian rescuers take a break during a search and rescue operation in the rubble of a destroyed hotel after an attack in the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on Sunday.
A video posted on Telegram by Russian news channel SHOT showed what it identified as a high-rise residential building in the city, with one side damaged and several windows broken on three floors.
In Engels, the top floor of a residential building was damaged, he added.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians. Both countries say their strikes are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to the other’s war effort.