Russia stepped up its attacks on Kiev local time on Wednesday, launching waves of drones and missiles in its first combined air assault on the capital in more than 70 days, authorities said.
The attack came as the US State Department echoed warnings from Ukraine that North Korean troops have begun “engaging in combat operations” alongside Russian forces on the border between the warring countries.
The Ukrainian Air Force said its units shot down four missiles and 37 drones launched by Russia over eight regions of Ukraine overnight and into Wednesday morning.
“It is important that our forces have the means to defend the country from Russian terrorism,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in response to the attack.
Ukraine has for months called on its Western allies to provide more air defense systems to repel Russian attacks on cities and critical infrastructure.
The large-scale bombing comes at a critical time on the battlefield. Russian forces are advancing eastward and concerns about future aid are growing after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections.
AFP journalists heard explosions ringing over the city and saw dozens of Kiev residents seeking refuge in an underground metro station in the center of the capital.
Kiev officials said a man was injured by falling debris from a downed drone in the suburb of Brovary, as emergency services released images of firefighters battling flames at a crash site.
A separate drone strike in the Ukrainian-controlled southern Kherson region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia, killed a 52-year-old woman, the regional head said.
Several air raid sirens sounded Wednesday as authorities announced that missiles were approaching Kiev, which was home to nearly three million people before Russia invaded in February 2022.
The attack is the latest in a series of attacks in Ukrainian cities, mainly in the south of the country.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that its forces have targeted civilians in Ukraine, a claim its spokesman repeated Wednesday in response to a question about whether Russian forces were working to minimize civilian casualties.
Last week, Moscow and Kiev launched record attacks on each other overnight.
Russian ground forces have made rapid progress in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which the Kremlin says is part of Russia.
As Kremlin forces advance west, Kiev warned that Russia has massed a force of 50,000 troops – including North Korean soldiers – to push Ukrainian forces back from the Russian border region of Kursk.
In Brussels on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned about deploying North Korean troops alongside Russian forces fighting on the Ukrainian border.
Blinken said he had discussed with NATO chief Mark Rutte that North Korean forces had been “inserted into the battle, and now, literally, into a fight that requires and will get a firm response.”