Air offensive of “exceptional” intensity against Kyiv
Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses went into action before dawn on Tuesday May 16 to repel a new attack ” complex “ drones and missiles on kyiv, the day after the announced return to the capital of President Volodymyr Zelensky after his tour of Europe.
“The enemy launched a complex attack from several directions and simultaneously, using drones, cruise missiles and probably ballistic missiles”said the kyiv military authority in a statement posted on its Telegram account. “It was exceptional in its density, a maximum number of missiles in a very tight time frame. According to the first information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the skies of kyiv have been detected and destroyed! »the statement added.
Shortly before, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, reported on his Telegram account that the city’s anti-aircraft defenses were at work and reported the wreckage of a drone and the remains of a missile in the raion (district administrative) Darnytsky, in the south of the city. “Three people were injured in the Solomyansky district”he added.
This new nocturnal attack comes the day after the announced return to kyiv of Mr. Zelensky after his European tour which took him to Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
It is not immediately known how many projectiles were shot down over the city and whether one or more of them hit their target.
Russia resumed firing long-range missiles at the end of April and has increased air attacks in recent days, mainly against kyiv. Ukraine managed to repel the majority of these attacks.
The mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, said that aerial debris had set fire to several vehicles and damaged in particular a building in a district of western Kiev. Warning sirens sounded across the country in the early hours of Tuesday.