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– Russia fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine on Monday, killing at least four people and battering the country’s already weakened energy grid, officials said.
Moscow’s largest attack in weeks on Ukraine triggered widespread blackouts and came after Kyiv claimed new advances in its incursion in Russia’s Kursk region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow launched at least 127 missiles and 109 drones in “one of the largest Russian attacks”.
Of those, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said 102 missiles and 99 drones were shot down.
The United States and Britain both condemned the assault, with US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby calling it “outrageous” and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy branding it “cowardly”.
Germany’s foreign ministry said that “once again, Putin’s Russia is saturating Ukraine’s lifelines with missiles”.
State-owned electricity supplier Ukrenergo announced emergency power cuts to stabilize its system following the barrage, while train schedules were disrupted.
Early on Monday, residents in the capital Kyiv rushed to take shelter in metro stations, as AFP reporters heard the booms of what appeared to be air defenses.
“We are always worried. We have been under stress for almost three years now,” said Yulia Voloshyna, a 34-year-old lawyer taking shelter in the Kyiv metro.
“It was very scary, to be honest. You don’t know what to expect,” she said.
Since invading in February 2022, Russia has launched repeated large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including punishing strikes on energy facilities.
