Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Several regions of Ukraine, including its capital, faced a Russian missile attack Thursday morning, the latest in a series that has targeted the nation’s infrastructure.
Air raid sirens sounded across the country. In Kyiv, the regional administration said air defense systems had been activated to prevent the ongoing missile attack. Explosions were heard in the city.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a series of explosions had occurred in Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Ukrainian authorities in several regions said some incoming Russian missiles had been intercepted.
The governor of southern Ukraine’s Mykolaiv province, Vitaliy Kim, said five missiles were shot down over the Black Sea, and the Ukrainian military’s Northern Command said two were shot down in the Sumy region, which borders Russia in the country’s northeast .
Fragments from a downed Russian missile damaged a private building in the Darnytskyi district and a car parked nearby, the Kyiv regional administration said.
Thursday’s attack is the latest in a string of Russian attacks on vital infrastructure in Ukraine. Moscow has launched such attacks weekly since October, leading to blackouts and power rationing.
After previous attacks, the Ukrainian military reportedly shot down Russian missiles and explosive drones, but some hit their targets, adding to the suffering of the population due to freezing temperatures.
As the latest wave of Russian attacks began on Thursday, authorities in the Dnipro, Odesa and Kryvyi Rih regions said they had cut power to minimize damage to critical infrastructure if hit.
Earlier this month, the United States agreed to provide Ukraine with a battery of Patriot missiles to bolster the country’s defenses. The United States and other allies have also pledged to provide energy-related equipment to help Ukraine withstand attacks on its infrastructure.
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