At least one person was killed Thursday when a missile hit a building in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, after Ukrainian authorities declared a nationwide air alert for a new wave of air strikes by Russia against several regions.
The mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, noted on his Telegram account that «as a result of the impact of a rocket against a non-residential building in the Holosiiv district there is one dead and two wounded.» «The wounded have been hospitalized,» he said.
Shortly before, Klitschko, had confirmed «explosions» in the Dnipro district and had called on the population to «stay in shelters». He also stressed that «all services are in place».
Following this, the head of the Kiev Civil-Military Administration, Serhiy Popko, had indicated that «the enemy has launched more than 15 cruise missiles in the direction of Kiev». «Thanks to the excellent work of the air defense, all targets have been shot down. However, the danger of shelling is not over. Stay in shelters until the alarm is over,» he said.
According to reports by the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, Ukrainian air defense systems had to act also in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Yitomir, Zaporiyia and Vinitsia, while there are also reports of explosions in Odessa.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba said that «among the targets of today’s massive missile attack, Russia has hit Odessa, causing massive power outages.» «This destruction is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s response to UNESCO’s inclusion of Odessa on its World Heritage List yesterday and placing it under enhanced protection on the List of World Heritage in Danger,» he noted on his Twitter account.
The governor of Odessa, Yuriy Kruk, has denounced that «the enemy continues to fire missiles at Ukrainian territory from sky and sea.» «There is already information about damage to multiple objects of Odessa’s critical energy infrastructure. There are no casualties. Air Defense Forces operate on the territory of Odessa, particularly in the Odessa district. We ask you to stay in shelters, not to spread details about the impacts on social networks and wait for official information,» he concluded.
For his part, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat has pointed out that the Armed Forces expect the launch of more than 30 missiles by Russia. «The enemy pays more attention to the center of Ukraine. There is still no information about the presence of drones in Ukrainian airspace,» he concluded.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)