Enlarge image
Exploding rocket over the Ukrainian capital Kiev
Photo:
Gleb Garanich / REUTERS
Russia carried out air strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and the Lviv region in the west of the country on Sunday night. »Explosions in the capital. The air defense works. “Don’t leave the shelters,” Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messenger service. According to the military administration, the air defense systems repelled the attack.
Witnesses heard several explosions and saw some air weapons being shot down. The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kosytskyi, also reported rocket attacks in his region. The area around the city of Stryj, south of Lviv, is affected.
As Ukraine's western neighbor, Poland confirms "intensive activity by long-haul aircraft from the Russian Federation," as the operational command of the Polish Armed Forces (RSZ) announced. A cruise missile even crossed the border, they say. “At 4:23 a.m. there was a violation of Polish airspace,” the armed forces write on X . »The object entered the Polish area near the town of Oserdów (Lublin Voivodeship) and remained there for 39 seconds. He was monitored by military radar systems throughout the flight.”
Polish and Allied Air Force activated
“All necessary procedures to ensure the security of Polish airspace have been initiated,” including that Polish and allied aircraft have been activated. There could therefore be increased noise pollution, "particularly in the southeastern part of the country." The southeastern part of Poland borders Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have increased their mutual air strikes in recent weeks. Ukraine, which has been confronted with the Russian war of aggression and ongoing bombing raids on Ukrainian cities for two years, had announced that it would strike back and shift hostilities to Russian soil.
Russia responded by escalating its own attacks. On Friday, Russia attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure with massive missile and drone attacks.
mgo/AFP/Reuters