Russian missile attack on Ukraine capital Kyiv; 18 houses damaged
A series of explosions rocked Kyiv on Saturday morning (January 14), triggering air raid sirens to warn that the Ukrainian capital was under an apparent missile attack.
Critical infrastructure in Kyiv was targeted, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Telegram.
An unidentified infrastructure object was hit in the city, Kyiv’s city military administration said.
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Explosions were heard in the Dniprovskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
18 houses are damaged in Kyiv region as a result of morning russian attack pic.twitter.com/GKL4JksfY3
— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) January 14, 2023
Klitschko said that fragments of a missile fell on a non-residential area in the Holosiivskyi district, and a fire broke out in a building there.
No casualties have been reported so far.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether several facilities in Kyiv were targeted or just one. The Ukrainian capital hasn’t been attacked with missiles since New Year’s night on January 1.
More attacks
In the outlying Kyiv region, a residential building in the village of Kopyliv was hit. Windows of the houses nearby were blown out.
A total of 18 private houses were damaged in the region, according to regional Governor Oleksii Kuleba. There are damaged roofs and windows, but no casualties.
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He added that a fire has been contained at a critical infrastructure facility in the region.
Earlier on Saturday, two Russian missiles hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, the Governor of the region reported.
Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces fired two S-300 missiles at the industrial district of Kharkiv. The strikes targeted energy and industrial objects of Kharkiv and the (outlying) region, Syniehubov said.
Fight for Soledar
The attacks come amid conflicting reports on the fate of the fiercely contested salt mining town of Soledar, in Ukraine’s embattled east.
Russia claims that its forces have captured the town, a development that would mark a rare victory for the Kremlin after a series of humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.
Ukrainian authorities and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insist the fight for Soledar continues.
Moscow has painted the battle for the town and the nearby city of Bakhmut as key to capturing the eastern region of the Donbas, which comprises of partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and as a way to grind down the best Ukrainian forces and prevent them from launching counterattacks elsewhere.
(With inputs from Agencies)
