According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko in the online service Telegram, two residential buildings in the capital were hit in a rocket attack in Kyiv. Rescue workers are on site. The Ukrainian air defense intercepted several missiles over Kyiv.
Half of Kyiv without electricity
At least half of the residents are without electricity, explained Klitschko. According to Klitschko, at least one person died in the attack on Kyiv. A body was pulled from a residential building in the Pechersk district.
Deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said the rockets were fired by Russian forces. He circulated footage showing a fire erupting in a five-storey apartment building in Kyiv. “The danger is not over,” Tymoshenko declared, urging residents to stay in shelters.
Reaction to Zelenskyj’s speech
Presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said the attack was apparently a reaction to the speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G20 summit. In the speech, Zelenskyy called on the heads of state and government of the G20 countries to urge Moscow to end its war of aggression.
Other Ukrainian cities were also hit by attacks. “There are explosions in Lviv,” the mayor of the western Ukrainian city said in online media. The mayor of Kharkiv in the northeast of the country spoke of a “rocket attack” on the city. Both mayors reported power outages in their cities.
Recently, the Russian armed forces had repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
After withdrawal from Kherson
On Friday, Russia completely withdrew its forces from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson after eight months of occupation. Previously, the Ukrainian troops had continued to advance in the area. For Russia, the withdrawal meant a bitter defeat. Cherson was the only regional capital that Russian troops had captured at the very beginning of the war.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against underestimating Russia’s military capabilities after recent defeats. “We have seen that Russia is willing to accept high losses,” said the Norwegian on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. Moscow has considerable military capabilities. In addition, Russia is taking brutal action against civilians. “We must support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
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