Russia attacks ‘every district’ of Kyiv, sparking fires across Ukrainian capital | Ukraine
Russia launched a massive joint attack on Kiev early Friday, causing fires and scattering debris in many parts of the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The statement stated that at least 11 people were injured as emergency teams responded to multiple attacks.
Five people, including a man and a pregnant woman in critical condition, were taken to hospital after a series of powerful explosions were heard in the city and the activation of air defenses.
Authorities stated that the attack on the capital continued and called on residents to stay in shelters until the air raid alert was lifted. Municipal authorities warned that electricity and water outages may occur.
Pictures posted on social media showed different areas in flames and residents gathering on rubble-strewn streets outside apartment buildings.
“Russians are hitting residential buildings. There are many damaged multi-storey apartment buildings in almost every district,” Timur Tkachenko, the head of Kiev’s military administration, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said both unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles were deployed and emergency teams were sent to many neighborhoods.
Kiev’s heating system was also damaged and service was cut off in one area, Klitschko said. He warned of possible outages in electricity and water supplies.
In the Darnytskyi district, debris fell in the garden of a residential building and on the territory of an educational facility. A fire broke out in the car that was hit by falling pieces.
In the Dniprovskyi district, debris damaged three apartment buildings and a private house and caused a fire in an open area. Five residential buildings and one non-residential structure were damaged in the Podilskyi district.
Many fires broke out due to falling debris elsewhere in the city.
Russian attacks in the Kiev region damaged critical infrastructure and private homes and injured at least one civilian, regional head Mykola Kalashnyk said. He said a 55-year-old man in Bila Tserkva suffered thermal burns and was taken to hospital. A fire broke out in private houses in the suburbs of the capital.
The strike comes as European Union officials warned this week that Ukraine must continue its fight against corruption following a major corruption scandal that has put top nuclear energy officials under scrutiny. But they also gave assurances that aid would continue to flow as Kiev tries to stop Russia’s invasion.
via Reuters and Associated Press
