KYIV: The Ukrainian air defences thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all 18 missiles aimed at the capital, officials said.
Loud explosions boomed over Kyiv as the night-time attack combined Russian missiles launched from the air, sea and land in an apparent attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences.
No casualties were reported as Western-supplied weapons helped fend off the assault. The barrage came as European leaders sought new ways to punish Russia for the war and a Chinese envoy sought traction for Beijing’s peace proposal. Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv was “exceptional in its density the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest period of time,” said Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv military.
UK Ambassador Melinda Simmons tweeted that the barrage was “pretty intense”. “Bangs and shaking walls are not an easy night,” she wrote.
It was the eighth time this month that Russian air raids had targeted the capital and came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded a whirlwind European tour.
Six “Kinzhal” aero-ballistic missiles were launched from MiG-31K aircraft, nine cruise missiles from ships and three land-based S-400 cruise missiles targeted the capital, air force spokesman said.