Early this morning, Russian military forces carried out an airstrike on Kyiv that Ukrainian officials described as “extremely intense.” drones, cruise missiles and possibly, according to the same sources, ballistic missiles.

This is the eighth such raid against the Ukrainian capital this month.

It was “unusual in its density,” including “the maximum number of missiles in the shortest possible time,” Sergey Popko, head of the Kyiv military command, told Telegram.

He assured with reference to the “first information” that the “overwhelming majority” of “targets in the airspace of Kyiv have been identified and destroyed.”

Ukrainian forces shot down all 18 missiles of various types fired by Russia during a concerted night strike on Ukraine, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzny said on Tuesday.

Russia launched six Kinzhal ballistic missiles from aircraft, nine Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, and three Iskander surface-to-surface missiles, Mr. Zaluzny said on messaging app Telegram.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it also shot down six Iranian Shahed drones and three reconnaissance drones.

Repeat attacks

After a pause of several weeks, Russia resumed long-range missile strikes in late April, and such strikes have increased in frequency recently, often targeting targets in the Kyiv region. Ukrainian authorities claim to have repelled the vast majority of Russian attacks.

On Tuesday, authorities reported falling debris in Obolonsky, Shevchenkovsky, Solomensky and Darnitsky districts.

According to the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, because of the wreckage, cars caught fire and a house in the Solomensky district (west) was damaged. Three people were injured.

However, according to Mr. Klitschko, air defense systems repelled a kamikaze drone attack in Boryspil, a suburb southeast of Kiev that houses the capital’s main airport, which remains closed for the time being.

According to the military administration of Kyiv, in other areas of the destruction is small, there are no reports of casualties.

Air defense sirens are heard almost throughout Ukraine early Tuesday morning for more than three hours. Whether there are victims in other regions, except Kyiv, is unknown.

Injuries were reported, including in the Kharkiv region in the north and the Mykolaiv region in the south of the country.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters, Ukrinform