Kyiv: Russia has launched a barrage of attacks on Ukraine, including the use of Iranian-made "Kamikaze" drones over Kyiv. According to Prime Minister Denis Shyagal, the strike affected critical infrastructure in three areas, causing power outages in hundreds of villages across the country.
At least seven people have died so far, four in Sumy and three in Kyiv.
The capital was attacked with Russian missiles at rush hour a week ago, as part of a nationwide strike that killed 19 people. Shyamgal reported that the new attacks targeted the regions of Kyiv, Dnipro and Sumy.
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Russia said it had hit "all specified targets", including Ukraine's "military command facilities and energy systems".
According to Ukraine's Deputy Interior Minister Yevhan Yesenin, four people were killed when a power generation plant in Sumy was damaged.
"Russia is on the lookout for any and all energy-related facilities," Yenin warned. "They intend to destabilize the energy industry." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, said: "It shows his desperation."
According to the city's mayor, Alexander Senkevich, a suicide drone set fire to sunflower oil tanks in the port city of Mykolaiv. Senkevich claimed that three drones set fire to tanks in Mykolaiv late Sunday, hours before the Kyiv attack.
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According to a Ukrainian Air Force official, 37 drones that entered the country from the south have been destroyed since last night. Drones were used in the morning strikes in Kyiv – the low echo of these slow-moving weapons is becoming familiar across the country.
The city erupted with gunfire as anti-aircraft batteries attempted to shoot them down. A social media video appeared to show an interception.
Monday's eruptions began at around 06:30 a.m. local time (03:30 GMT). The most recent happened around 08:10 local time. Two were near the city center, sirens and car alarms were heard throughout the area
President Zelensky said, "The enemy can attack our cities, but he will not break us."
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko called the attacks "heinous". "The genocide Russians against the Ukrainian people need a Ukraine devoid of Ukrainians."
Klitschko said city officials were anticipating the arrival of air defense systems to protect the capital from drone strikes. The media saw fragments of the drone used in the attack with the words "for Belgorod".
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian border city of Belgorod has been affected several times. Moscow has blamed Kyiv for the attacks.
On Saturday, two gunmen who volunteered to fight in Ukraine killed 11 people at a Russian restaurant.
Klitschko claimed four attacks in Kyiv on the social media site Telegram, despite its residents having heard five or six explosions. He also advised people to take shelter in air raid shelters.
However, despite warnings, the roads were far from empty. Many were seen going about their business on Monday morning between the first and second set of strikes.
Yermak referred to the kamikaze attacks as Russia's "death throw" and said Ukraine needed more air defense systems "as soon as possible".
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, last week's attacks were in retaliation for the bombing of a major bridge connecting Russia with occupied Crimea, for which he blamed Ukraine. This was the first time the center of Kyiv was directly targeted during the war.
Putin said earlier this week that more large-scale attacks on Ukraine were unnecessary. Most of the specified targets were hit, he said, adding that destroying the country was not his goal.
