Russia launched strikes: Five people were injured after Russia launched strikes on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, while a foodstuff warehouse was set ablaze in the Black Sea city of Odesa during the attack, Ukrainian officials said early on Monday.
The attack came as Russia is set to hold its Victory Day parade that marks the anniversary of its defeat of Nazi Germany. Russian President Vladimir Putin has evoked the then Soviet army that defeated Nazi German forces, and defended Moscow’s invasion on its neighbour asserting that it was done with an aim to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram messaging channel that three people were wounded in blasts in Solomyanskyi district while two others were hut after drone wreckage fell on them in Sviatoshyn district, both situated west of the capital’s centre.
According to Kyiv’s military administration, emergency services were working at Zhuliany airport after drone wreckage fell on a runway of the airport. But, there were no reports of fire.
Drone debris seemed to have struck a two-storey building in Kyiv’s central Shevchenkivskyi district, causing damages. However, it was not clear whether there were any casualties or not, the administration said.
Eyewitnesses told Reuters they heard several explosions in Kyiv. According to local officials, air defence systems were activated to repel the attacks. It is not known how many drones were launched on Kyiv, Reuters reported.
There were media reports of blasts in the southern region of Kherson and in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeast after air raid alerts were sounded over parts of Ukraine.
Separately, Russian forces launched strikes on eight locations in Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine on Sunday, according to the regional military administration.
On February 24 last year, Russia invaded Ukraine, claiming it was a “special military operation” to flush out “neo-Nazis” in the neighbouring country. However, Kyiv and its allies maintain that it was a land grab and an undeclared act of aggression.
