The Ukrainian Air Force has identified what it terms as ‘ballistic on Kyiv,’ triggering air defense measures in the capital city.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has confirmed that three individuals suffered injuries in the course of the overnight attacks. Reports indicate that Russian drones may be entering the city, and he is urging residents to seek shelter.
Among those injured, two have been hospitalized while another was treated on site. Mayor Klitschko, in reporting this, noted that medical personnel had been dispatched to the scene.
The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Timur Tkachenko, has revealed that metro tracks between two stations in the city have sustained damage from these attacks. There have, however, been no reports of fire or casualties resulting from this particular incident.
The Ukrainian Air Force has reported incoming cruise missiles directed towards Lutsk, Chernihiv, Lviv, and the Rivne regions of Ukraine, around 4:30 in the morning, local time. Dmitry Bryzhynskyi, head of the Chernihiv City Military Administration, has reported a high-rise building hit in Chernihiv, emphasizing that the city is currently under attack.
The significance of this should not be overlooked. The escalation of these attacks comes as peace talks, facilitated by the United States, have yet to yield meaningful progress. Delegations from both Ukraine and Russia convened in Istanbul earlier in the week, but proposed memoranda have not advanced.
This development follows earlier reports that a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump did not include discussions on the potential peace deal terms proposed earlier. The evidence suggests that Russia is preparing for retaliation following Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian military sites. Satellite imagery reviewed by experts indicates that at least 11 Russian bomber aircraft and a large transport plane were severely damaged or destroyed in these strikes.
The covert operation, described by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as one for the “history books,” raises important questions about the future trajectory of this conflict.