Ukrainian military officials stated on Tuesday (August 27th) that Russia conducted missile and drone attacks on Ukraine for the second consecutive night, resulting in at least 4 deaths and 16 injuries. According to Ukrainian statistics, Russia launched at least 81 attack drones and 10 missiles last night.
Local officials reported that a hotel in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih was “destroyed” during the air raid, resulting in two fatalities. Additionally, two individuals were killed in a drone attack in Zaporizhzhia.
Explosions were also reported in the Kiev, Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, and Mykolayiv regions. The full scale and extent of damage from the attacks are not yet fully understood.
The Kiev Military Administration reported on Telegram that their air defense systems were activated multiple times during the night to repel missiles and drones heading towards the capital.
Witnesses informed Reuters that at least three rounds of explosions were heard in Kiev last night.
In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that during the recent attacks, 4 people lost their lives and 16 were injured, with ongoing rescue operations.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk stated that overall, Russian forces launched 3 “Dagger” air-launched ballistic missiles from MiG-31 fighter jets, 5 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 1 “Iskander-M” ballistic missile from Tu-95 bombers, and 1 “Iskander-K” cruise missile.
Oleshchuk noted that 5 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 60 drones were intercepted by Ukrainian defense systems.
Serhii Popko, the Director of the Kiev City Military Administration, mentioned that around 10 drones and several missiles were shot down near Kiev, adding that “all objects flying towards the capital were destroyed.”
The previous day, Russia initiated the largest-scale air raid since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, launching over 200 missiles and drones, resulting in at least 7 deaths and causing damage to Ukraine’s power supply system. US President Biden condemned the attack as “horrifying.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Monday’s attack targeted “all designated targets” in Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War in Washington claimed on Monday that Moscow “likely lacks the defense industrial capability to sustain such large-scale strikes on a recurring basis.”
Some Russian military blogs suggested that Moscow’s attacks were a “retaliatory action” against Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory.
The Kremlin announced it would respond to Ukraine’s actions in the Kursk region.
After three weeks of incursions into Russian territory, Kiev claimed to have made further advances in the area. Moscow stated that Russian forces have been vigorously attacking Ukrainian troops in the region but have not yet expelled them.
On Tuesday, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Governor of Belgorod Oblast in Russia, mentioned that Ukrainian troops may be attempting to breach the border and enter the region.
Belgorod Oblast is situated between Kursk Oblast, Voronezh, and borders Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk.
Kiev has not commented on these claims yet. The Epoch Times could not independently verify the statements made by Russian officials.
(This article references reports from Reuters and Kyiv Independent)