Ukrainian officials reported on Thursday that Russia launched a lengthy assault on Kyiv and other cities, targeting ports, industrial locations, and distribution centers for retailers with missiles and drones, although some of the attack was thwarted.
As commuters headed to work in the capital, they were met with the sounds of air defenses engaging waves of drones following a nighttime attack that Ukraine’s military stated involved an unknown number of ballistic missiles and 258 drones.
“During the night, Russia executed a significant strike on Ukraine, focusing on ports, grain storage, energy, and industrial infrastructure with ballistic and hypersonic missiles as well as combat drones,” said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.
The Ukrainian military reported that seven ballistic missiles were intercepted, reflecting an improved success rate after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced earlier this week that Kyiv had received a limited supply of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.
These interceptors are designed to take down rapidly moving ballistic missiles, which are challenging to intercept, yet the limited availability has left Ukraine increasingly exposed to Russia’s escalating aerial assaults.
Russia, which initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, claimed it was also targeted overnight, with a drone strike temporarily shutting down a logistics facility operated by online retailer Ozon in Ufa, according to the company.
Since Saturday, Ukraine has focused on several Ozon locations as part of its efforts against e-commerce giants like Wildberries, which it believes are integral to Russia’s war infrastructure.
Smoke rises from a warehouse in Kyiv, with a field of sunflowers in the foreground, on Thursday. (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press)
Ukraine has secured additional commitments from allies, including Britain, which announced it would grant Kyiv access to classified technology to initiate its own production of Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Moscow issued a warning on Thursday, stating it could target British military installations both within and outside Ukraine “in retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory utilizing British weaponry.”
Air-raid sirens ringing
In Kyiv, air-raid sirens blared throughout the afternoon as attack drones flew across various neighborhoods, with debris causing injuries to four individuals.
Ukrainian flags wave as smoke billows above central Kyiv after a Russian strike on Thursday. (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press)
In Kharkiv, a northeastern city, a lunchtime attack on a shopping center resulted in one death and two injuries, as reported by regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
The strikes also hit a distribution center for the major Ukrainian retailer COMFY in the Kyiv area and damaged another distribution site for a prominent toy manufacturer, according to the statements from their executives on social media.
Roshen, a leading chocolate company founded by former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, also announced that one of its warehouses near Kyiv was destroyed.
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Russian attacks also targeted industrial facilities, energy plants, and other infrastructure in the central region of Poltava and southern Odesa, as well as the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih, officials confirmed.
These assaults caused delays for trains across multiple regions, leaving travelers stranded for extended periods.
Retired major-general Scott Clancy asserts that Ukraine has been engaged in a war of attrition, with Western allies providing sufficient support to maintain its efforts but not enough to achieve victory. He emphasizes the urgent need for more air defense systems and long-range capabilities as Russia increases its missile production.
According to Russia’s defense ministry, Moscow targeted steel mills in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, an oil refinery in the Poltava region, logistics centers around Kyiv, and three ports in the Odesa area.
Additionally, six Russian drones entered the airspace of neighboring Moldova, local authorities reported, leading Moldovan President Maia Sandu to “strongly condemn this intimidation.”
One of the drones was discovered on Moldovan territory.