Early on Wednesday morning, Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv, causing significant damage and injuring at least 45 people.Â
The explosions, occurring around 3 am, resulted from air defense systems intercepting missiles aimed at the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that debris from intercepted missiles fell on the eastern side of the Dnipro river, injuring 45 people.
Eighteen people, including two children, were hospitalized, while others received on-site treatment.
The impact of the attack led to fires in an apartment building, a private house, and several cars.
Additionally, a children’s hospital in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi District suffered damage to windows and entrances. Falling rocket debris also affected the water supply system.
The specific weapons used by Russia in this attack were not immediately identified. This incident follows a missile attack on Monday, which destroyed homes on the outskirts of Kyiv, injuring four people and causing power outages for over 100 households.
The attack coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States, where he appealed to right-wing Republicans for increased military aid.
US President Joe Biden cautioned lawmakers, emphasizing the risk of inadvertently providing Russia with a “Christmas gift” if they failed to approve the requested assistance.
In addition to the injuries and damages reported, the recent attack impacted buildings in Kyiv’s Desnyanskyi and Darnytskyi districts.
Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, highlighted that most injuries resulted from shattered windows caused by the blast wave.
He expressed concern that the number of wounded individuals might increase as more details emerge.
