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Firefighters in a building damaged by the recent attacks in Kyiv

Photo: Valentyn Ogirenko / REUTERS

What happened in the past few hours

In two nightly airstrikes by Russia on the city of Kyiv, which celebrates its founding anniversary today, Ukraine's defense systems apparently shot down at least 40 drones launched by the Russian military. This is announced by the city's military command on its Telegram channel. According to official Ukrainian data, the attack took place in two waves. A man was killed by falling drone debris on a gas station, at least three other people were injured. The Ukrainian Air Force later spoke of two people killed. She also spoke of a "record number of explosive drones" and claimed to have destroyed 52 out of 54.

Kyiv has been regularly attacked by Russia since May. The head of the military and civil administration, Serhiy Popko, had put the number of night attacks on Friday at 13 since the beginning of the month. The current attack is "one of the most significant against the capital since the beginning of the invasion," the regional military administration said. The air raid alarm lasted more than five hours.

The attacks at dawn took place on the last Sunday of May, when the capital celebrates Kiev Day, the anniversary of its official foundation 1541 years ago. This day is usually celebrated with street festivals, concerts and special exhibitions, which are also planned for this year, but on a smaller scale.

Russia also claims to have intercepted several drones that flew towards the Ilski oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, according to the region's emergency service. Who is said to have launched the drones is not named. The refinery is located near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and has already been attacked several times this month.

Information about attacks cannot be independently verified.

Meanwhile, the fuel for the counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territories, which has been expected for weeks, continues. The offensive could "begin tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week," said the secretary of the National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, the BBC. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, had previously published a video showing Ukrainian soldiers taking an oath and preparing for battle: "The time has come to take back what belongs to us."

This is what Kiev says

In his nightly video message, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Germany for the further supply of various defense equipment and weapons. This would strengthen air defense and, as a whole, the defense against Russian terror, the Ukrainian president said. He did not give details. He also thanked Finland for a new defense package, as well as Canada and Iceland. At the same time, he announced tougher sanctions against Russia to end the country's war against Ukraine.

"Today is another day of sanctions," Zelenskyy said. He had put 220 companies and 51 people on the list of those who "work for terror". Most of them are armaments factories that are linked to Russian companies "that serve the war". Not all of them operate on Russian soil. "But everyone will get the global pressure," he said.

The Ukrainian authorities collected data from all those who supported Russia's war and campaigned for its punishment at the international level as well. "Russia will gain nothing and lose everything. This is what will happen to everyone who helps him in this terror," Zelenskyy said. He thanked Japan, which issued a new package of sanctions this week. The EU has also already enacted ten packages of sanctions against Russia.

This is what Russia says

Despite economic disadvantages, Moscow emphasizes that the sanctions cannot stop the war in Ukraine. By selling oil and gas to China, for example, the commodity superpower continues to earn billions, which also help the country's war economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that the ever-new sanctions will ultimately make the country stronger.

President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has ordered increased border security to ensure a "rapid" movement into Ukrainian regions under Moscow's control. It is necessary to ensure the rapid transportation of military and civilian vehicles and goods, including food, humanitarian aid and building materials, sent to the new territories of the (Russian) Federation," Putin said on the Kremlin's Telegram channel. Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk are the four regions and those "new territories" in Ukraine that Putin declared annexed last September in violation of international law. Russian forces control these four areas only partially.

sak/dpa/Reuters