At least five dead
Russia attacks Ukraine with massive attacks
February 7, 2024, 12:07 p.m
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Russia is bombarding targets across Ukraine with cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones. Accordingly, there are at least five deaths and several injuries. The EU foreign representative Borrell has to flee to an air raid shelter to escape the attacks.
Russia has caused severe destruction in the country with new massive air strikes on Ukraine. There was also an air alert in the capital Kiev. According to Ukrainian information, the Russian armed forces attacked Kiev and other cities in several waves with rockets during rush hour in the morning. Sirens wailed across the country from around 6 a.m. local time, warning of air strikes. Reporters reported that loud explosions were heard shortly before 7 a.m. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there have been four deaths so far. More than 30 people were apparently injured.
According to his own statements, Klitschko saw the destruction in an 18-story high-rise building that was hit. An injured pregnant woman was also taken to the hospital from the apartment building, Klitschko said. Emergency services were deployed to put out fires, including the house and burning cars. In addition, according to Klitschko, falling debris from intercepted rockets hit high-voltage lines, causing power outages in some parts of Kiev. He called on people to seek safety in shelters.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyj condemned the new Russian attack as a terrorist attack; he initially spoke of two dead and possibly several injured. According to Zelensky, a total of six regions of Ukraine were affected by the new massive air strikes. According to authorities, it was the third Russian missile attack on the capital this year.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who is currently in Kiev, said he also had to flee to safety in the morning because of the air alert. “This is the everyday reality for the brave Ukrainian people since Russia began its illegal aggression,” he wrote on the X platform.
In the cityt Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, authorities reported destruction of buildings and injuries as a result of Russian rocket attacks. Mayor Olexander Senkewytsch announced on Telegram that one injured person had died of his injuries in hospital. Water pipes and the gas network were also damaged by the enemy attacks, said Senkewytsch, who also published pictures of the destruction. 20 residential buildings are without roofs.
Many regions affected
Other regions of Ukraine were also affected by the attacks, including Kharkiv in the east and the Lviv region in the west. Attacks were also reported in northeastern Ukraine. The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Sinehubow, said buildings in the city of the same name had been hit by Russian missiles. These are not residential buildings. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the attack.
According to Army Chief Valery Zalushny, the Ukrainian military intercepted and destroyed 29 missiles and 15 drones. They were therefore fired by Russian Tupolev strategic bombers Tu-95MS. Drones were also shot down again, as the air force announced. In several waves of attacks, the Russian armed forces fired a total of 64 missiles and drones at targets in Ukraine, Zalushnyj wrote on Telegram.
In its war of aggression that has been going on for almost two years, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine with drone and missile attacks. Ukraine is defending itself against these attacks with Western military help. Germany in particular had contributed particularly to strengthening the country’s air defense system. Ukraine is calling for significantly more Western help for air defense in order to be able to protect its cities even better.