Russia Launches Massive Strikes On Ukraine; Kyiv Also Hit

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Kyiv was shrouded in smoke from fires in several districts, including an apartment building, early Monday, after Russia unleashed a renewed deadly attack on Ukraine.

Sirens sounded for more than six hours across the Ukrainian capital and elsewhere as Moscow fired drones, cruise- and ballistic missiles, and the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, Ukraine’s air defense force confirmed Monday.

At least two people were killed and more than 15 others were injured, including children, after Russia launched more than 400 missiles and drones across Ukraine, officials said. Most were targeted at the capital, Kyiv, where the entrance of a metro station where people were sheltering was among the struck targets, authorities said. Witnesses reported that grocery stores and homes caught fire, while a crater was visible near a kindergarten.

An apartment building and the entrance to a central metro station, used as an air-raid shelter by civilians, were among damaged targets, authorities said.

There were signs that Russia increased its reach, targeting the country’s central and western regions with drones and missiles.

The attack came while Kyiv’s allies pledged increased air defense protection to help shield the war-ravaged nation.

RUSSIA ATTACKS

Britain and Germany were due to pledge new air defense systems for Ukraine on Monday, while Britain is pushing for a “50-day drive” to arm Kyiv and try to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, Bloomberg News agency reported.

Yet the attacks did not remain unanswered as Russia was forced to close airports near Moscow following a Ukrainian drone attack.

Russian media reported, citing the Federal Air Transport Agency, that the airports resumed operations early Monday.

Russia has stepped up air attacks on Ukraine with record numbers of drone raids in recent weeks. It launched 728 drones on July 9, damaging residential buildings and
infrastructure, according to official data.

The United Nations reported that Ukraine’s monthly civilian casualties in June were the highest in three years, with 232 killed and 1,343 injured.

With fighting continuing, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has pledged more weapons for Ukraine and threatened 100 percent “secondary tariffs” on Russia unless Putin agrees to a ceasefire within 50 days. Trump stated that NATO military alliance member states would cover the costs of the arms.

DIRECT TALKS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over the weekend, proposed a meeting with Russia this week, more than a month after the last direct talks, to try to bring about a ceasefire.

Two rounds of talks in Istanbul, Turkey, between Moscow and Kyiv failed to result in any progress towards a ceasefire, instead yielding large-scale prisoner exchanges and deals to return the bodies of killed soldiers.

“Security council secretary [Rustem] Umerov also reported that he had proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address to the country.

“The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,” he added.

Zelenskyy reiterated his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face, as “meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace—lasting peace.”

Umerov, a former defence minister, was appointed last week as head of Ukraine’s national security and defence council to boost the negotiations.

The war began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and is believed to have killed and injured more than 1 million.

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