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Russia Barrage, Ukraine Strike Kill 4 09/08 06:38
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Two people were killed when Russia bombarded the
Ukrainian capital Kyiv with drones and missiles overnight, local authorities
said Tuesday, and a Russian-installed official in illegally annexed Crimea said
a Ukrainian attack killed two people there.
The attacks came soon after the warring countries had paused attacks on each
other's capitals over the weekend as U.S. envoys made a renewed push to narrow
the differences between Moscow and Kyiv and steer them toward a peace
settlement.
With neither side able to deliver a knockout blow in the war that started
after Moscow's February 2022 invasion, and with armies on the front line
largely stuck, Russia and Ukraine have in recent months intensified their air
war in an effort to grind each other down.
The visit to Moscow and Kyiv by Washington envoys Jared Kushner and Steve
Witkoff produced no significant breakthrough that might stop the fighting.
Top Ukraine diplomat says 'horrific' attack hurts peace efforts
The main targets of Russia's overnight attack were Kyiv and the southern
Odesa region. At least 16 people were wounded in Kyiv, Ukraine's Interior
Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said. There was no immediate tally of casualties in
Odesa.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv for nearly five hours, according to Vyhivskyi.
More than 50 sites were damaged in Kyiv during the Russian overnight attack
Tuesday, including residential buildings, dormitories, schools, shops, gas
stations and a flour production plant, he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it "a horrific attack" and
accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of undermining U.S. peace efforts.
"His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy," Sybiha
said on X, referring to Putin. "Strike after strike on residential buildings
brings him no closer to winning this war -- it is nothing but senseless terror."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that the
attack was complex and appeared deliberately designed to cause maximum damage,
involving ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and Shahed drones.
Russia says it hit military-related targets
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces overnight launched a massive
strike with "land-, air-, and sea-based precision weapons, as well as
long-range unmanned aerial vehicles" on Ukrainian military industry facilities.
It provided a detailed list of its targets.
The targets included places storing Ukrainian drones and cruise missiles, as
well transport, logistics and distribution centers for military cargo in Kyiv
and the Kyiv region, the ministry said.
Infrastructure in the port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region used for
"unloading military cargo" also was struck. Additionally, the Russian forces
hit a tanker carrying fuel and lubricants for the Ukrainian armed forces, the
ministry said.
In the meantime, a Ukrainian attack on Crimea killed two people and wounded
one, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said.
People rescued from Kyiv apartment blocks after attack
The Russian attack caused damage and fires in at least five districts of the
capital, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. The Kyiv City Military
Administration said civilian infrastructure was damaged in at least 16
locations.
A 26-story non-residential building was hit in the Holosiivskyi district.
Rescuers saved one person during a search and two people were evacuated from an
apartment in a 16-story residential building, officials said.
People also were trapped in a five-story, residential building in
Solomianskyi district, according to authorities.
Kyiv resident Iryna Barisenkova, 61, said she heard explosions while
traveling on public transport and was told there was a large fire near the
Darnytskyi Vehicle Repair Plant on the capital's left bank.
"Everything was thundering on the left bank," Barisenkova said. "It was just
brutal."
Barisenkova said she had slept well during the previous two nights while
Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Kyiv and then stayed in the city.
"We got some rest, thanks to them," she said. "Let them come more often so
they don't shell us."
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