Russia intensified its airstrikes on Kyiv early Wednesday, releasing waves of drones and missiles in its first joint aerial assault on the city in almost 70 days, according to authorities.
According to officials, falling debris from a downed drone injured one man in a Kyiv suburb.
The barrage came as Washington and Seoul backed Ukraine’s fears that North Korean troops had begun “engaging in combat operations” with Russian military on the border between the two countries.
Ukraine’s air force said its forces shot down four missiles and 37 drones launched by Russia across eight areas of Ukraine overnight and Wednesday morning.
Ukraine has for months been appealing to its Western allies to provide more air-defence systems to fend off Russian attacks on cities and critical infrastructure.
The large-scale bombardment comes at a critical moment on the battlefield. Russian forces are advancing in the east and concerns are growing over future aid for Ukraine after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
Kyiv officials said one man was wounded by falling debris from a downed drone in the suburb of Brovary, while emergency services distributed images of firefighters battling flames at one impact site.
A separate drone attack in the Ukrainian-controlled southern region of Kherson, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia, killed a 52-year-old woman, the regional head said.
This morning, Russia launched yet another combined attack on our cities, and our air defense responded effectively. Russian missiles—including ballistic and cruise missiles targeting Kyiv—were shot down, along with drones. In total, around 90 strike drones attacked Ukraine.
It…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 13, 2024
Multiple air raid sirens rang out early Wednesday as authorities said missiles were closing in on Kyiv, which was home to nearly three million people before Russia invaded in February 2022.
The attack is the latest in an uptick in escalating strikes on Ukrainian cities, mainly in the south of the war-battered country.
A Russian strike this week on Kryvyi Rig, Zelensky’s hometown, killed a 32-year-old mother and her three children.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its forces target civilians in Ukraine, a claim its spokesman repeated Wednesday in response to a question over whether Russian forces were working to minimise civilian casualties.
Last week, Moscow and Kyiv launched record overnight drone attacks on each other.
Russian ground forces have been making rapid advances in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia.
On Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry said its troops had wrested control of the village of Rivnopil, where an estimated 98 people lived before the invasion.
As the Kremlin’s forces advance westwards, Kyiv has warned that Russia has amassed a force of 50,000 troops – including North Korean soldiers – to push out Ukrainian forces from the Russian border region of Kursk.
