Kinzhal rockets in action
Russia bombards Ukraine with air strikes at night
26.05.2024, 06:17 a.m.
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During the night, an air raid warning is declared across the whole of Ukraine. The Russian attackers are particularly targeting the west of the country. Meanwhile, CDU politician Kiesewetter is promoting the idea of western states taking over air defense over western Ukraine.
According to the Kiev military, Russia bombed Ukraine from the air during the night with rockets, cruise missiles and combat drones. Kinzhal-type hypersonic missiles were also used, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on its Telegram channel.
The targets therefore appeared to be mainly in the west of the country. Explosions were reported from the Khmelnytskyi region, where the important Ukrainian air force base Starokostiantyniv is located. According to the regional administration, a residential building was hit in the Vinnytsia region. The Lviv region on the border with Poland was also attacked, as the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadowy, wrote on Telegram. An overview of damage and possible victims was not yet available overnight. An explosion was also heard near the capital Kiev, reported the public broadcaster Suspilne. In Kiev, as always when air raid warnings are sounded, many people sought shelter in the subway and other bunkers.
The heavy nighttime air raid was announced by the launch of Tu-95 strategic bombers in Russia. Cruise missiles were fired from these aircraft. Later, MiG-31 fighter jets, which are the carrier systems of the Kinzhal, also took off.
Kiesewetter: Western states could partially take over air defence
Just on Saturday, two Russian glide bombs hit a large hardware store in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, leaving at least six dead and many injured. In the evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky renewed the call for more air defense systems for his country. “If Ukraine had enough air defense systems and modern fighter planes, Russian attacks like this would be impossible.”
Meanwhile, CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter argued that western states should take over air defense over western Ukraine. “A coalition of the willing could extend its own air defense to the western territory of Ukraine in a corridor of 70 to 100 kilometers,” Kiesewetter told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “This would relieve the Ukrainian armed forces at this point – they could concentrate on air defense further east in the country.”