Ukraine’s capital region came under attack by Iranian-made kamikaze drones early Thursday, authorities said, sending rescuers to the scene as residents awoke to air-raid sirens for the fourth morning in a row after the massive Russian attack across the country earlier this week.
Kyiv Regional Governor Oleksiy Kuleba said the attack occurred in the area around the capital. It was not yet clear if there were any casualties.
The deputy director of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Telegram that “critical infrastructure facilities” in the area were attacked, without offering details on which ones. In the southern city of Mykolaiv, overnight shelling destroyed a five-story apartment building as fighting continued on Ukraine’s southern front.
Mykolaiv Regional Governor Vitali Kim said an 11-year-old boy was rescued from under the rubble, where he had spent six hours, and rescuers were searching for seven more people on Thursday morning, Kim said.
Amid severe supply shortages and battlefield losses, Russia is isolated and reliant on heavily sanctioned regimes like Iran to weaponize its illegal war in Ukraine.
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3Amcswtrg6
— Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 12, 2022
He said the building was hit by an S-300 missile normally used to target military aircraft, but the Russians have apparently been increasingly using them for imprecise ground attacks.
Morning strikes on Ukraine’s southern front have become a daily occurrence in Russia’s war as Kyiv forces mount a counteroffensive aimed at retaking Moscow-occupied territory. Attacks in Kyiv had become rare before the capital city was hit at least four times during Monday’s massive attacks, which killed at least 19 people and injured more than 100 across the country.
Western leaders pledged this week to send more weapons to Ukraine, including air defense systems and weapons that Kyiv has said are critical to defeating invading Russian forces. Britain said on Thursday it would provide missiles for advanced NASAM anti-aircraft systems that the Pentagon plans to send to Ukraine in the coming weeks. It is also sending hundreds of additional aerial drones for intelligence gathering and logistics support, in addition to 18 more howitzer artillery guns.
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said “these weapons will help Ukraine defend its skies from attack and strengthen its overall missile defense in conjunction with the US NASAMS.”
The systems, which Kyiv has long desired, will provide medium to long-range defense against missile attacks.
The offer comes as NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels, with the aim of helping to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses after Monday’s widespread Russian attack.
Ukraine’s military said this week that its current air defenses have shot down dozens of Russian missiles and Shahed-136 drones, so-called kamikaze drones that have played an increasingly deadly role in the war.
