While Russia is suffering armed incursions on its soil, Ukraine woke up to the sound of explosions once again on Monday, August 26. Kyiv and several other cities were shaken by several loud detonations in the early morning, following a massive air attack. “More than 100 missiles and about 100 drones” were fired by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at midday. “The enemy used different types of weapons: drones, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles,” said his Prime Minister, Denys Shmygal.
At least 4 people were killed by these strikes across the country, and several districts of the capital are experiencing water and electricity cuts. “The energy sector has suffered heavy damage,” Zelensky confirmed. In total, fifteen regions have been affected, according to the Ukrainian government.
The governors of the southern regions of Odessa and Zaporizhzhia and the governor of the northeastern Kharkiv region reported explosions on Telegram and urged residents to take shelter. “A residential building was damaged in an enemy attack in Lutsk,” said the mayor of the northwestern city, Igor Polishchuk. Earlier, an attack on an industrial facility in the central region of Poltava injured five people, said Governor Filip Pronin.
In his speech broadcast on Telegram, Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the allies to respect the agreements on the supply of air defense systems and missiles. He also called on European air forces to help Kyiv fight Russian strikes: “In different regions of Ukraine, we could do much more to protect lives if the air forces of our European neighbors worked together with our F-16 [fighters] and with our air defenses,” he said, demanding “solutions.”
Drone response
Ukrainians have been expecting a major Russian missile attack for some time. Last week, the US Embassy warned of a high risk of an attack on the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated on Saturday.
Ukraine itself has stepped up its long-range drone attacks on Russia. “The desire to destroy our energy will cost the Russians dearly: their infrastructure,” Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Telegram, appearing to have promised retaliation. Kyiv said it targeted an oil refinery on Monday morning in the city of Yaroslavl, about 250 km from Moscow.
This article is originally published on liberation.fr
