More than 50 people were injured Wednesday in a nighttime missile attack on kyiv, Ukraine, the heaviest death toll in months and a new illustration of Russia’s growing military pressure. Ukraine has been on the defensive since the failure of its summer counter-offensive, especially since the West, led by the Americans, are now procrastinating on the extent of the political, military and financial aid to be given to their ally. Ukrainian.
The main information:
– More than 50 injured in nighttime missile attack on kyiv
– Russia destroys ammunition warehouses, according to its Defense Ministry
– Ukraine “cannot win without help”, insisted Volodymyr Zelensky in the United States
– Emmanuel Macron called on Wednesday the European Union to be “provided with full and lasting support for Ukraine”
Debris fell on inhabited areas
The anti-aircraft defense shot down the ten ballistic missiles launched around 3 a.m. (1 a.m. GMT) on kyiv but the debris fell on inhabited areas, including a pediatric hospital. No deaths have been reported and the hospital center continues to operate. On the other hand, 53 people were injured across the city, 20 of whom were hospitalized, including two children, according to the Ministry of Health. It had been months since kyiv had recorded such a record.
The attack was probably launched with 48N6 missiles, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration said. According to Ukrainian media, only Patriot and SAMP/T anti-aircraft systems manage to destroy such projectiles, but Ukraine only has four. In addition, at least nine Russian Shahed drones were launched into Odessa late Tuesday evening and were also shot down. Near this large port in southern Ukraine, a large hangar containing trucks and cars was destroyed with fragments of what appears to be a Shahed drone lying nearby, noted an AFP journalist.
No press release from Russia
“It turned out that when the drones were shot down, not all of them were completely destroyed,” said Natalia Goumeniouk, a spokeswoman for the army in the South. She said an auto repair shop caught fire, injuring two employees. Another drone hit port facilities, already targeted several times.
Russia has not communicated about these strikes. But the Defense Ministry said Wednesday that aviation, drones, missiles and artillery destroyed munitions warehouses and drone construction sites on an unspecified date and location.
“Ukraine cannot win without help”, proclaims Zelensky
Since the fall, Moscow has increased its attacks and wants to strike hard at a time when the will of the West to support Ukraine seems to be weakening. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the United States on Tuesday was an illustration of this, with Republicans blocking any further assistance as part of a standoff with President Joe Biden. The Ukrainian leader, keen to secure means to fight the Russian invasion in 2024, continued an international tour on Wednesday. He was in Oslo to meet the leaders of the five Nordic countries, allies and donors. Ukraine “cannot win without help,” he insisted.
In an open letter published in the Financial Times, the five Nordic leaders argued that “war is not won without weapons.” Vladimir Putin is betting on the waning of Western support, and has completely reoriented his industry towards military production. Showing ever more confidence, the Kremlin described American aid to kyiv as a “fiasco”.
Macron calls on the EU to provide “full and lasting support for Ukraine”
Volodymyr Zelensky, well aware that an American failure would undermine the support of its other allies, called for “a very strong signal of unity” in the face of the “aggressor”. In Europe, several leaders have hammered home their support for the Ukrainian cause, like the new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
On the eve of a crucial summit in Brussels which must decide on new aid for Kiev and the official opening of accession negotiations with this country, French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called on the European Union to be “at meeting of full and lasting support for Ukraine”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said he wanted “sustainable financial support” from the EU. “The security of Europe is at stake and it is a priority for Germany,” he added.
In Avdiïvka, 51 attacks
On the front, some 1,000 kilometers long, Russian forces are also increasing attacks, in the East and in the South. The town of Avdiïvka in particular has been the subject of a Russian offensive since October. According to a daily morning report from the Ukrainian army, “51 enemy attacks were repelled.”
The Ukrainians also say they are repelling attacks around Robotyne, a southern village which had been liberated this summer, raising hopes, since disappointed, of a breakthrough. Russian attacks also targeted the northeast, near Kupiansk and Lyman, according to kyiv. Finally, the Ukrainian special services (SBU) said they were helping the country’s leading mobile operator, Kyivstar, to restart its services, which were still paralyzed, the day after a hack attributed to Russian military intelligence hackers.