Russia on Monday morning launched a major air attack on Kiev, using Iskander missiles, while Ukrainian authorities admitted in a rare statement that a military post in the west of the country suffered losses in a series of night strikes.

Hours after Kiev's announcement, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that it had overnight bombed "airports" in Ukraine and "destroyed" all their targets.

"All identified targets were destroyed," it said in a statement, without specifying the locations of the strikes. "Command sites, radar centres, aviation equipment and facilities used to store weapons and ammunition of the Ukrainian armed forces were hit," it said.

After the night bombardment, AFP journalists heard sirens sound in the Ukrainian capital in the morning, followed by a series of explosions at around 11.10am local time (08.10 GMT).

Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko spoke of explosions in downtown neighborhoods. For its part, the military administration in Kiev confirmed the activation of air defense systems.

Russia has stepped up air strikes on the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the month, almost all of which have so far been launched overnight.


According to the mayor, a man was injured and taken to hospital. Wreckage of destroyed rockets fell on at least three neighborhoods in the north and east of the capital, causing a fire, according to the military administration.

The same source said that "all (Russian) air targets have been successfully hit with air defense (systems)," adding that "the Russians are clearly proving that they aim to eliminate the civilian population."

Ukrainian recognition

Earlier in the day, the Khmelnitsky regional administration in western Ukraine said a military post had come under Russian attack overnight, saying it was a warehouse and a military airstrip.

"Russian forces bombed several positions, including a military (site) in the Khmelnytsky region," she said via Telegram.

The department reported fires at fuel depots, while military equipment and an airstrip were damaged. "Work to contain the fires continues."

Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian cities in recent days (Reuters)

The same source said five planes were out of service, without adding further details. He noted that repair work at the airstrip had begun.

However, the administration did not say about any possible casualty toll, saying only that the information would be "clarified."

This is a very rare statement by Ukrainian authorities, who have barely disclosed their military losses since the beginning of the Russian offensive in February 2022.

Massive air attack

The bombardment in the west is part of a massive air attack on Ukraine by Russia on Sunday night, following an unprecedented attempt to carry out drone strikes on Kiev.

"Last night, the occupiers attacked military sites and critical infrastructure sites in Ukraine," Ukrainian army commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said on Telegram Monday, firing up to 40 cruise missiles from aircraft over the Caspian Sea and about 35 drones from the north and south.

Zaluzhny later noted that the Ukrainian military shot down 11 Iskander missiles on Monday morning. "A total of 11 Iskandar-M and Iskandar-K missiles were fired from the north" at the city of Kiev and its region, he said via Telegram, adding that "air defense destroyed all targets."


In the capital Kiev alone, "more than 40 air targets" were destroyed overnight, the city's military administration said, noting that this was the 15th attack on the capital since the beginning of the month.

Capital Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said: "Another difficult night for the capital." "Thanks to the professionalism" of air defence, the attack did not result in casualties or serious damage, he said.

For its part, the military administration of Kiev considered that the Russians seek to exhaust Ukrainian air defense and to keep the civilian population in a state of deep psychological tension, through their repeated bombardment.

Moscow had no official comment on Kiev's account of being bombed with cruise missiles, but the Kremlin confirmed on Monday that the military operation in Ukraine was continuing until it achieved its goals.

Attacks on Belgorod

In the southern Russian territory of Krasnodar, authorities announced the neutralization of drones that tried to approach an oil facility, stressing that the infrastructure of the facility was not damaged and the refinery was subjected to similar attacks this month without causing injuries, according to Russian authorities.

In a later development, Russian media said a number of villages in the border province of Belgorod had been hit by Ukrainian shelling.

Russia's Belgorod governor said the province was at war and called for Kharkiv to be included to stop Ukrainian bombing.

He added that five Ukrainian reconnaissance groups have infiltrated the province since the war began, and said: "We are living in real war conditions."

The Belgorod region was the scene last Monday of the largest armed incursion from Ukraine since the war began in February 2022, in an infiltration accompanied by shelling and drone fire.

Russian territory has also been targeted in recent weeks by a series of drone attacks, as Kiev talks about preparing a counteroffensive aimed at retaking Russian-held territory, including Crimea.

The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, General Oleksandr Sirsky, said on Monday: "The time will soon come when we will launch an offensive."