Russia fires drones and missiles at Kyiv, Ukraine strikes set fuel stores alight

Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, resulting in three fatalities. Simultaneously, two other attacks in the southern part of the country also claimed three lives. According to official reports, these attacks caused significant casualties and property damage.

In Kyiv, air defense systems were activated before dawn to counter the attacks, with explosions resounding across the sky. According to Timur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, the attacks also left three people injured. Additionally, a shopping center, a business center, a subway station, and a water pipe sustained damage in the attacks.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's parliamentary commissioner for human rights, wrote on social media, "Russian forces initially launched drones, followed by ballistic missile strikes." He added, "These actions merely highlight the enemy's cold-bloodedness and barbarity." The intense barrage of drones and missiles devastated roadways.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 39 Shahed drones, other simulated drones, and four ballistic missiles in the early hours of Saturday. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down two missiles and 24 drones. The statement noted that 14 additional drone simulators were lost while being tracked. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that in the Shevchenkivskyi district, windows were shattered, the entrance of a residential building was smoking, and a water supply pipe was also damaged.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene witnessed a man lying dead in a pool of blood amidst the rubble. Firefighters were extinguishing the fires caused by the attacks, and streets were flooded. Klitschko also stated that the Lukianivska metro station was closed due to damage to its glass entrance from the attacks. Cars were also left as wreckage from the Russian missile strikes. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office stated in a release that an investigation into the missile attacks has been launched. The victims included a security guard at a food store and three people inside a minibus on the street.

Across Ukraine, drones and missiles were shot down in regions including Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Donetsk.

On the other hand, industrial sites in the Russian regions of Kaluga and Tula were targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks, causing fires. The Russian military accused Kyiv of using missiles supplied by the United States and the United Kingdom, vowing that these attacks "will not go unanswered." The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that 46 Ukrainian drones were destroyed nationwide overnight.

Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of the Kaluga region, wrote on Telegram that in the Kaluga region, a drone attack caused a fire in the town of Lyudinovo. Residents on social media indicated that the target of the attack was a local oil depot. Fires were also reported in the Tula region, with Governor Dmitry Milyaev stating that a fuel storage tank was ignited. He warned residents to stay away from falling drone debris. No casualties were reported in either incident.