KYIV: Russian drones and missiles bore down on the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday (Jul 10), with officials reporting two deaths, 16 injured and fires in apartment and non-residential buildings as Washington resumed weapons deliveries to the war-torn country.
Escalating Russian attacks have strained Ukrainian air defences at a perilous moment in the war and forced thousands of people to seek bomb shelters overnight.
“Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouse facilities, office and non-residential buildings are on fire,” head of Kyiv’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia launched 18 missiles and around 400 drones in an attack which primarily targeted the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
There was no comment from Moscow about the attack, which came a day after Russia launched a single-night record number of drones targeting its smaller neighbour in what Ukrainians describe as terror tactics.
“Approaches to warfare changed a long time ago, and in its quest to break our society through terror, Russia has opted for combined strikes,” the head of Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak said.
Russia says its attacks aim to degrade Ukraine’s military. The Russian defence ministry said its own air defence units had destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones overnight, RIA state news agency reported.
