Global Courant 2023-05-16 15:02:11
Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian air defenses thwarted an intense Russian airstrike on Kiev on Tuesday, shooting down all 18 missiles on the capital, as European leaders sought new ways to punish Russia for the war and a Chinese envoy sought a grip on Beijing’s peace proposal.
Loud explosions boomed over Kiev as the night attack combined Russian missiles launched from the air, sea and land in an apparent attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. There were no casualties as weapons supplied by the West helped repel the attack.
Russia’s latest attack on Kiev was “exceptional in density – the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest time,” said Serhii Popko, the head of Kiev’s military administration.
Valentyna Myronets, a 64-year-old resident of Kiev, said she felt “pain, fear, nervousness and restlessness” amid the attacks. “God, we are waiting for victory and when this is all over,” she said.
British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons tweeted that the barrage was “pretty intense”.
“Ponies and shaking walls are not an easy night,” she wrote.
It was the eighth time this month that Russian airstrikes have targeted the capital, a marked escalation after weeks of silence and ahead of a long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive. It also came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrapped up a whirlwind European tour to greet Ukraine’s key wartime allies, leading to an additional tranche of pledged military aid.
Six “Kinzhal” aero-ballistic missiles were launched from MiG-31K aircraft, nine cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea and three land-based S-400 cruise missiles were aimed at the capital, Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said in a statement on Telegram. . .
After the initial strike, Russia also launched Iranian-made Shahed attack drones and conducted aerial reconnaissance, Ihnat said.
Debris fell over several districts in the capital, sparking fires, but no losses were reported, Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Sophisticated air defense systems from Ukraine’s western allies, including US Patriot missiles, have helped save Kiev from the kind of destruction seen elsewhere in the country as Russian forces continue their long-range bombing tactics.
The strengthened air defenses have prevented Russian aircraft from penetrating deep into Ukraine and helped determine the course of the war, military experts say.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov applauded the display of defensive prowess, calling it “another incredible success” in a tweet.
The barrage came as European leaders were due to attend a rare summit of the 46-nation Council of Europe, the continent’s main human rights body.
The two-day meeting in Iceland is trying to set up a way to record damage in Ukraine caused by the Kremlin’s forces so that claims for damages can be made against Moscow.
Meanwhile, a Chinese envoy is preparing to visit Ukraine and Russia in the coming days as Beijing presses the peace plan it released in February.
Li Hui, a former ambassador to Moscow, will also visit Poland, France and Germany, according to China’s foreign ministry.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it is neutral and wants to play a mediating role in the war, but has given political support to Moscow and more than 14 months after Russia’s full-scale invasion, a breakthrough seemed unlikely.
At least seven civilians were killed and 14 others injured in Russian shelling of Ukrainian regions Monday through Tuesday morning, the country’s presidential office said.
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Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kiev and Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.
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