VLADIMIR Putin has launched one of the biggest missile and drone blitzes of the war so far on the Ukrainian capital – leaving at least three dead and dozens wounded.
Swarms of drones were launched across several Ukrainian regions – before turning toward the Kyiv region and the capital.
ReutersA residential neighbourhood in Kyiv was decimated by a Russian strike[/caption]
ReutersThe missile and drone barrage on Kyiv left a trail of destruction across the city and wider region[/caption]
ReutersDozens have been wounded in the ‘unprecedented’ barrage[/caption]
Drones flew over the city, and anti-aircraft fire rang out for several hours after the Russian forces launched the deadly blitz.
Correspondents for the Kyiv Post described the strike as “one of the heaviest they had ever witnessed”.
Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said Nato fighter jets were scrambled in response to the unprecedented bombing by the Russians.
The moves were preventive and aimed at securing Polish airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas close to Ukraine, the forces said.
Authorities said: “Due to the activity of long-range Russian air forces carrying out strikes on Ukrainian territory, Polish and allied air forces have begun operating in our airspace.
“The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the current situation, and subordinate forces and resources remain ready for immediate response.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia had launched a “massive” air attack on the country involving hundreds of missiles and drones.
At least three people were killed – including a 12-year-old girl – amid heavy bombing in the capital city.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least many people had been wounded “as a result of the enemy’s attack”.
He said a fire had broken out at a state cardiological hospital as a result of the attack.
Residents fled to metro stations deep underground for safety, sleeping on makeshift beds or sitting on deck chairs following events on their phones.
Several other regions were also hit in the strike, with at least 16 people, including three children, injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, authorities said.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, accused Moscow of waging a “war against civilians”.
“There will be a response to these actions. But the West’s economic blows against Russia must also be stronger,” Yermak said.
The attacks came after Russia said it would go to war with the West if Nato acts on the threat to shoot down Moscow’s fighter jets.
In recent weeks, several European countries have accused Russia of violating their airspace with drones and fighter jets, in what Nato has viewed as a test of its resolve.
Russia has denied that it is responsible for the incursions or that it plans to attack any Nato country.
Speaking at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his country had no intention of attacking any Nato or EU member state – but warned of a “decisive response” if any “aggression” was directed towards Moscow.
He said: “Threats of force against Russia, accused of practically planning an attack on the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, are becoming increasingly common.
“President Putin has repeatedly debunked such provocations. Russia has never had and does not have such intentions, but any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response.”
Yesterday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would not stop with his country and that is why it was testing Europe’s air defences with the recent incursions.
“Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that,” Zelensky added.
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