KYIV, UKRAINE (Aftenposten): Russia carried out new missile attacks on Thursday night. Several dead and injured are reported.
Firefighters put out a fire in an area of Kyiv after the overnight attack with missiles and drones on Thursday night. Photo: Valentin Ogirenko, Reuters / NTB
Sea view
Published: 21/09/2023 06:31
Updated: 21/09/2023 09:16
At 04:00, the flight alarm sounded in the Ukrainian capital. Soon after, it spread throughout Ukraine. The Air Force warned that Russian missiles were heading for cities across the country.
At dawn, the whir of missiles flying over the center of the capital was heard. Then followed the sound of explosions as the air force went to work.
At least two died and 21 injured
The capital was far from the only city under attack in the morning hours. The country’s second largest city, Kharkiv, was attacked with Russian S-300 missiles, local authorities report.
The cities of Rivne, Lviv, Khemlnytskyi and Cherkasy were also under attack.
So far, it is unclear how extensive the attack on Kyiv is. Local authorities report that two girls aged nine and 18 have been injured.
In the morning hours on Thursday, the news came that two people had been killed in Kherson, in the south of Ukraine.
Governor Oleksandr Prokudin says the two people were killed when an apartment block was hit.
In total, at least 21 people were injured in the attacks, NTB reports.
Here is a fire that has occurred after the attack against Kyiv last night in the Darnytsia district of the city. The image was posted to Telegram by the city’s authorities.
1 of 2Photo: Kyiv Military City Administration (KNVA) via Reuters
Damage to infrastructure
The attack comes as the country’s authorities and ordinary Ukrainians prepare for a challenging time. It is expected that Russia will bomb the country’s civilian infrastructure in the same way as last winter.
Mayor Vitalij Klitschko writes on the messaging service Telegram that the water and electricity supply has been lost in some areas, but that this is in place again.
As a result of the attacks, millions of Ukrainians lost water and electricity during parts of the winter months. There is still damage to electricity and gas in the country.
With new Western air defenses such as the US Patriot system, the country is better equipped to repel attacks this winter. Nevertheless, the country could be hit by a new energy crisis if a few Russian missiles hit their targets. The wrote the think tank The Atlantic Council in an analysis in August.
Drone attack on Crimea
Ukraine, for its part, has increased the number of attacks against targets on the annexed Krym peninsula.
Both Ukrainian and Russian media are reporting an extensive drone attack against Krym on the night of Thursday.
– Last night it was the biggest drone attack against Crimea ever, reports several Russian Telegram channels, among others Mash.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims the country has shot down 19 Ukrainian drones over Crimea.
– We ask everyone to keep calm, says Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the Russian-deposed leader of Krym, according to the Telegram channel Sevastopol Info.
The Ministry of Defense has not provided information on dead or injured.
Disagreement with Poland
Earlier this week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a plea. He told Ukraine’s allies to “dig deep” to send more anti-aircraft weapons to ward off upcoming Russian attacks. The next day, Britain came out and promised more support.
But one of Ukraine’s most important partners now claims to have stopped arms support.
For several months, Poland, via an EU agreement, has blocked Ukrainian grain from being transported through the country. It is done to protect the interests of Polish farmers. They fear they cannot compete with the prices of Ukrainian grain if it is stored in Poland.
This week the conflict reached new heights. On Friday, the European Commission refused to extend the restrictions against Ukrainian grain imports. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have said they will not lift the restrictions.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is visiting the United States this week. In a speech to the UN Security Council, he directed criticism at the countries that oppose the import of Ukrainian grain. He accused the countries of helping Russia.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian ambassador was summoned to the carpet in Poland. Later, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was asked whether the country will continue to support Ukraine while the grain dispute is ongoing. The Prime Minister gave the following answer:
Poland halts arms support to Ukraine. Instead, they will concentrate on strengthening Polish defenses.
– We are no longer sending weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons, said the Prime Minister.
Ukraine has announced that it will complain to Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the World Trade Organization.
2023-09-21 06:56:15
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