Russia conducted a significant drone and missile assault on Ukraine early Friday, resulting in the deaths of six individuals in Kyiv and two in the southern part of the country. The strikes targeted energy facilities, residential buildings, and infrastructure, causing extensive damage. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Russian forces deployed 430 drones and 18 missiles, marking it as one of the largest attacks on the capital to date. He emphasized that Kyiv was retaliating with long-range strikes and called for increased sanctions on Russia by allies.
Despite most of the drones and missiles being intercepted by the air force, the falling debris and ensuing fires caused destruction to high-rise apartments, a school, a medical facility, and administrative buildings in nine districts of Kyiv. Timur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, disclosed that at least 34 people, including two children, were injured in the city, with nine individuals receiving medical attention at hospitals, including a pregnant woman.
The assaults led to partial power outages in central Kyiv, the southern Odesa region, and the eastern Donetsk region, as confirmed by the energy ministry. Images captured flames engulfing various areas of the city, with residents seen seeking safety among the debris-strewn streets surrounding apartment buildings post-attack. Anastasia, aged 29, recounted the chaos during the strike on her apartment block, expressing the dilemma faced when deciding whether to save oneself, protect one’s child, or assist others in distress amidst the chaos.
Furthermore, a drone and missile attack in Novorossiysk, Russia, resulted in the temporary suspension of oil exports from the Black Sea port. This suspension equated to 2.2 million barrels per day, about two percent of the global supply. Russian officials confirmed damages to a docked ship, apartment buildings, and an oil depot, with three crew members sustaining injuries.
The assault on Russian oil-exporting infrastructure in Novorossiysk follows Ukraine’s escalated strikes on Russian oil refineries in August, aiming to undermine Moscow’s financial backing for the ongoing conflict. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium temporarily halted oil loadings from Kazakhstan through the Yuzhnaya Ozereevka terminal due to the air alert triggered by the attack on the Sheskharis terminal’s oil berths. Local officials confirmed the extinguishing of a fire at the oil depot following the assault.
In response to the attacks, Zelenskyy revealed that Ukrainian troops deployed “Long Neptune” cruise missiles on Russian targets, emphasizing the increasing success of such strikes. The Russian Defence Ministry reported shooting down 216 Ukrainian drones in various regions, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has entered a critical phase, with both countries sustaining significant casualties and damages.
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