Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles after Zelenskyy leaves US
Ukraine said Russia targeted its capital city with missiles for a second time in three days as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departed the U.S. where he failed to unlock aid for the war effort.
Air defenses shot down all 10 of the S-400 anti-aircraft and Iskander cruise missiles fired at Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said that the target was critical infrastructure as winter sets in. “We know what they’re striking,” he said on Telegram, without elaborating.
Zelenskyy left Washington without persuading Republican lawmakers to approve $61 billion in aid vital to supporting his troops as Russia’s invasion heads toward a third year. He is in Norway on Wednesday to meet Nordic leaders as the European Union wrangles over a four-year €50 billion ($54 billion) support package for Kyiv.
“President Biden and I just agreed to work on increasing the number of air defense systems in Ukraine, and the terrorist state demonstrated how critical this decision is,” Zelenskyy said in a post in his Telegram channel.
Falling debris injured 53 people, of whom 20 were hospitalized, including two children, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Residential houses and cars were damaged in several districts of Kyiv, mostly on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, according to the city’s military administration.
The attack on Kyiv followed a drone barrage targeting the southern city of Odesa and the surrounding region. Ten Shahed UAVs were shot down late Tuesday, local Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Two people were injured and several civilian targets were damaged, Kiper said.
While Zelenskyy was visiting Washington this week, the country faced one of the biggest wartime cyberattacks. Ukraine’s largest mobile phone operator Kyivstar GSM JSC said Russia was most likely behind the disruption of phone and internet services Tuesday for about 24 million people. The company said it aims to restore service Wednesday.