Ukrainian officials sounded the alarm about a heavy wave of Russian strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early Tuesday morning. According to notifications shared by authorities on public forums, people were believed to have been trapped under the rubble of a residential building after the ravaging attack.
The recent developments involving global strife come merely a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a warning, saying that the country was “prepared” for an impending “massive” Russian strike. Moreover, even Russia warned last week that it was set to launch “systematic strikes” against military facilities in Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials break silence after suspected Russian strikes on Kyiv
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko blamed a suspected missile strike for the collpase of a multi-storey apartment building. Citing preliminiary reports, he added that four people had been injured after a “double tap” Russian strike.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv city military administration, also took to Telegram to reveal, “Preliminary reports indicate that there are people trapped under the rubble.”
Initial commentary from Ukrainian officials shed light on suspected missile strikes targeting an apartment block in Kyiv’s Podilsky district and a 24-storey building in Shevchenkivskyi district. Kyiv mayor further asserted that the attacks caused fire at both suspected targets.
In a statement on Telegram, Klitschko also pointed out that cars were “burning” after being hit by falling missile debris in the Obolon district. “There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten,” he added.
Photos shared by Reuters and other international news agencies showed thousands of Ukrainian residents taking shelter inside metro stations and other locations after air raid warnings.
Russia’s latest offensive follows last month’s drone strike on a dormitory in Ukraine’s Russian-led Luhansk region. 21 people died at the time. Ukraine has refused to claim responsibility for the attack.
This is a developing story.