Russia Launches A Major Air Attack on Kyiv

Moscow launched a nighttime attack combined with Russian missiles launched from the air, sea, and land in an apparent attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. No casualties were reported.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the barrage came as European leaders sought new ways to punish Russia for the war and a Chinese envoy sought traction for Beijing’s peace proposal, which so far appears to have made little impression on the warring sides. It also came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned home following a whirlwind European tour to greet Ukraine’s key wartime allies, which spurred an additional tranche of pledged military aid.

The overnight attack on Kyiv was “exceptional in its density — the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest period of time,” said Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration. –Associated Press

This was the eighth time this month that Russian air raids had targeted the capital, which is a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. After the very first air attack, Russia also launched Iranian-made Shahed attack drones and conducted aerial reconnaissance, Ihnat said.

Sophisticated air defense systems provided by Ukraine’s Western allies, including American-made Patriot missiles, have helped spare Kyiv from the kind of destruction witnessed elsewhere in the country as Russian forces press on with their tactic of long-range bombardment.

A Russian defense official said that Tuesday’s attack destroyed a Patriot missile battery in Kyiv. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the system was destroyed by a “Kinzhal.” –Associated Press

Russia didn’t provide any evidence of the destruction, and the statement couldn’t be independently verified by mainstream media/propaganda outlets. Ihnat, the Ukrainian air force spokesman, also refused to comment on the claim. The Western bolstered air defenses have deterred Russian aircraft from going deep into Ukraine and helped shape the course of the war, military experts say.

This is just one more bump toward a worldwide conflict.