- Russia launched six hypersonic missiles, as it unleashed its largest missile barrage against Ukraine in three weeks.
- Critical infrastructure and residential buildings in 10 regions had been hit, at least six people were killed and buildings were destroyed.
- Europe’s largest, The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was forced to rely on diesel-powered generators after missile attacks had damaged power lines.
- The attack comprised, in total, “81 missiles of various types”, launched from Russian aircraft and carriers in the Black Sea. Defence forces destroyed 34 cruise missiles and four drones.
- The missile barrage came after Ukraine’s military said that it had managed to push back intense Russian attacks on the city of Bakhmut, despite a Russian claim of control over its eastern half.
Russia launched six hypersonic missiles able to evade air defences in the early hours of Thursday morning as it unleashed its largest missile barrage against Ukraine in three weeks. Critical infrastructure and residential buildings in 10 regions had been hit, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said. At least six people were killed in a missile strike on a residential area in the western Lviv region, according to emergency services. Three buildings were destroyed by fire after the strike and rescue workers were combing through rubble looking for more possible victims. In the capital, Kyiv, the seven-hour alert through the night was the longest of Russia’s five-month air campaign.
Ukrainian officials said Moscow had fired six of its Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, an unprecedented number, which Ukraine has no way of shooting down. Russia is believed to have only a few dozen of the missiles, which the president, Vladimir Putin, regularly touts in speeches as a weapon for which Nato has no answer.
Europe’s largest, The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was forced to rely on diesel-powered generators after Ukrainian authorities said missile attacks had damaged power lines. The plant, which Russia has held since capturing it early in the war, is near the frontline and both sides have warned of a potential for nuclear accidents there caused by fighting.
Ukraine’s air force said the attack comprised, in total, “81 missiles of various types”, launched from Russian aircraft and carriers in the Black Sea. Defence forces destroyed 34 cruise missiles and four drones, it added. “Unfortunately, a missile of the Kinzhal type hit an infrastructure object,” said the head of Kyiv region’s military administration.
The governor of Odesa region said a mass missile attack hit an energy facility in the port city, cutting power. Residential areas were also struck. Kharkiv was left without electricity as a result of the overnight attack, according to Ukraine’s state broadcaster. The regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov, said the city and region had been hit by 15 strikes, with targets including infrastructure.
Some of the clearest satellite images of the city of Bakhmut show widespread damage to apartment buildings, bridges and industrial plants after weeks of heavy bombardments and street-by-street combat. One image, taken by Maxar Technologies, shows bridges across the Bakhmutova River have been destroyed. The river divides the city and can be used by Ukraine as a defensive line to stem the Russian advance.
The Russian defence ministry said the strikes were in response to what Moscow called a terrorist attack in Bryansk region last week, when members of a group called the Russian Volunteer Corps staged an incursion from Ukraine. Russia said two civilians were killed in the incident, which Ukraine accused Moscow of staging as a false “provocation”.
The missile barrage came after Ukraine’s military said late on Wednesday it had managed to push back intense Russian attacks on the city of Bakhmut, despite a Russian claim of control over its eastern half. As one of the bloodiest battles of the year-long war ground on in the small city’s ruins, Ukrainian defenders – who last week appeared to be preparing for a tactical retreat – remained defiant.
