Support The Moscow Times!

Kyiv and Ukraine's Lviv Region Report 'Massive' Russian Attack, No Casualties

A Russian Black Sea Fleet warship firing a cruise missile during drills in the Black Sea. Photo by Handout / Russian Defence Ministry / AFP
Ukraine's capital Kyiv and the western region of Lviv came under a "massive" Russian air attack early Sunday, officials said, while Poland said one of the Russian missiles breached its airspace.

Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a series of deadly aerial attacks, with Sunday's strikes also coming a day after the Russian military said it had seized the Ukrainian village of Ivanivske, west of Bakhmut.

A attack by militants on a Moscow concert hall on Friday that killed at least 133 people has also become  a new flashpoint between the two arch-rivals.

"Explosions in the capital. Air defence is working. Do not leave shelters," Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram early Sunday.

The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyi, said the Stryi district, south of the city of Lviv, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Polish border, was also attacked.

Officials in Kyiv, the surrounding Kyiv region and Lviv reported minor damage to some buildings but no casualties.

Temporary localized power cuts were also reported in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region after an overnight drone attack.

Ukraine's air force said Russia had fired 29 cruise missiles and 28 drones at its territory overnight.

It said it had downed 18 of the missiles and 25 drones.

Russia has significantly escalated its air attacks against Kyiv in recent days, launching last week one of its largest aerial barrages against the country's energy sector since the start of the war.

"The enemy continues massive missile terror against Ukraine," Sergiy Popko, had of the Kyiv city military administration, posted on Telegram.

"It does not give up its goal of destroying Kyiv at any cost."

Polish Airspace Breach

A Russian cruise missile fired at towns in western Ukraine breached Polish airspace, Poland's army said Sunday.

For about 40 seconds, "Polish airspace was breached by one of the cruise missiles fired in the night by the air forces... of the Russian Federation," the army wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

"The object flew through Polish airspace above the village of Oserdow (Lublin province) and stayed for 39 seconds," added the statement.

The army said that the missile was tracked by military radar throughout its flight.

"The Polish army is constantly monitoring the situation on Ukrainian territory and remains on permanent alert to ensure the security of Polish airspace," said the army.

Poland activated its air defence procedures during the incident, the operational command of the armed forces said in its statement.

A similar incident occurred on Dec. 29, 2023, when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.

In Nov. 2022, two people were killed when a Ukrainian air-defence missile fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, close to the Ukrainian border.

Before the missile was identified as Ukrainian, fears were raised that NATO — of which Poland is a member — would be dragged into an escalation of the conflict with Russia if its collective defence provisions were triggered.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more