Ukraine on Friday faced nearly 500 Russian missile and drone attacks that killed at least six people, officials said, the latest in an increasing number of daytime strikes by Moscow.
In a statement posted on the Telegram app Friday, the Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 542 drones and 37 missiles since last night targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure facilities. Air defence units shot down 515 drones and 26 missiles, the air force added.
The bombardment was the second time in a week that Russia has followed a overnight drone barrage with heavy daytime attacks, a new tactic as Moscow probes ways to penetrate Ukraine’s air defences.
“The Kyiv region is once again under a massive enemy missile and drone attack,” Mykola Kalashnyk, the regional governor, said.
“We can see that the enemy is using new routes, new drones which they are constantly modernising, and new tactics,” air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on state television.
Large-scale Russian bombardments cause disruption across Ukraine as many government institutions, public transport services and businesses close during the attacks, which can last many hours.
Read moreRussia’s military campaign in Ukraine stalls for first time in more than two years
“The enemy is exerting (pressure) on our population, paralysing the work of certain public institutions, as well as learning institutions,” Ihnat said.
In the eastern region of Kharkiv, one person was killed and 25 others injured by missile, bomb and drone attacks over the past 24 hours, governor Oleh Synehubov said on social media.
That included four ballisitic missiles that struck the regional capital, also called Kharkiv, overnight. Authorities only reported one injury from that strike.
Poland scrambles military jets due to Russian strikes on Ukraine
Poland on Friday said it scrambled fighter jets due to Russian air strikes on Ukraine.
“Duty fighter jets have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence systems as well as radar reconnaissance have reached a state of maximum readiness,” said the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces on X.
No violations of Polish airspace were recorded and military aviation operations linked to Russian strikes on Ukraine ended later Friday, said the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces.
“Activated ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have returned to standard operational activities,” the army wrote on X. “We inform that no violation of the airspace of the Republic of Poland was observed.”
Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited US negotiators to Kyiv to relaunch three-way talks with Russia, according to comments released Friday.
“I invited the American negotiating delegation to Kyiv. The delegation will do everything possible in the current conditions – during the war with Iran – to come to Kyiv,” Zelensky told journalists on Thursday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
