Ukraine says has it repelled a Russian missile attack on Kyiv and claims its forces are “strengthening” their positions in Russia’s Kursk region amid the offensive there.
Agence France-Presse reports that air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital before dawn on Sunday.
“This is the third ballistic missile attack on the capital in August with a clear interval of six days between each attack,” the Kyiv city military administration posted on Telegram after the early morning barrage.
Simultaneous to the missile attack, drones were spotted heading to Kyiv. “All enemy drones were destroyed far outside the city,” it added. No damage or casualties were reported from the attack, which the administration said had “most likely used North Korean ballistic missiles of the KN-23 type”.
The United States and Seoul have accused North Korea of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly called for its allies in the west to provide more air-defence systems.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog warned on Saturday that the safety situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was “deteriorating” after a nearby drone strike.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia accused Ukraine of dropping an explosive charge on a road near the occupied plant in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says his forces are “strengthening” their positions in Russia’s Kursk region where Kyiv has been mounting a major ground offensive.
He said his army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had reported that Ukrainian troops continued their advance and also took more Russian servicemen as prisoners.
The Ukrainian air force says it has attacked another bridge in Russia’s Kursk region. Footage posted on a commander’s Telegram channel shows an attack on a bridge in Zvannoe, Kursk over the Seym river.
This is the same river over which another key bridge was destroyed by Ukrainian strikes earlier this week. Ukraine’s destruction of infrastructure in the area is believed to be an attempt to hamper Russian supply lines or reinforcements.
Air force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk wrote: “Minus one more bridge! The aviation of the air force continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities with accurate airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities.”
Ukrainian drones attacked an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region early Sunday morning, sparking a large fuel fire, the local governor said.
Videos published on social media showed thick black smoke and bursts of flames coming from the site of the blaze, which the governor said was in the town of Proletarsk. There were no reported injuries. – Guardian