On the morning of November 13th, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was hit by a large-scale missile and drone attack by the Russian military. This marked the first time since August that Russia launched missiles towards Kyiv, forcing residents to seek shelter in subway stations.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 6 ballistic and cruise missiles as well as 90 drones at eight regions in Ukraine, triggering air raid alerts that lasted for several hours.
The statement mentioned that Ukraine’s air defense systems successfully intercepted 4 missiles and 37 drones, while electronic interference prevented another 47 drones from causing harm.
Currently, Ukraine is assessing the damages caused by the attack. There have been no reports of casualties or significant losses in Kyiv. However, the falling debris outside Kyiv led to a 48-year-old man being injured and sparked a warehouse fire.
For weeks, Kyiv has been facing nightly drone attacks from Russia. When the attack was launched on Wednesday morning, the Kyiv city government urged residents to stay in bomb shelters.
A university student hiding in the central subway station of Kyiv expressed how the frequent drone attacks have disrupted sleep patterns, with waking up to Russian airstrikes becoming a routine since September when he started college.
With winter approaching, Ukrainians anticipate Russia launching large-scale missile attacks, raising concerns over potential impacts on their already strained energy system and the likelihood of prolonged power outages.
Earlier this year, Russia targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts. Although the situation has improved since then, officials fear the Kremlin may be planning another assault on the grid soon.
Andrii Kovalenko, a senior official from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, warned that Russia is preparing for another “large-scale” attack and has accumulated a significant number of cruise missiles.
On Wednesday, the energy operator Ukrenergo stated that due to a “significant” decrease in power imports and generation, electricity supply to businesses will be restricted.
The last time Ukraine imposed power supply restrictions on businesses and households was at the end of August following Russia’s extensive missile and drone attacks.
It remains unclear whether the new restrictions are connected to the recent attack. Ukraine’s largest private power generation and distribution company, DTEK, announced that the regions to be affected by the restrictions will include Kyiv, nearby areas, as well as Odesa, Dnipro, and Donetsk regions.
(Reference: Reuters)