Russian forces launched a series of missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during the Wednesday morning rush hour, marking a stark intensification of the conflict that plunged parts of the Ukrainian capital into darkness. Ukrainian officials, including Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, reported that the capital experienced several waves of explosions, with air defence systems actively intercepting the aerial threats.
The assault, described as the first significant attack of February, saw the deployment of Ukraine’s air defence capabilities in a desperate bid to thwart the aggression. According to Klitschko, speaking on the Telegram messaging app, debris from the downed missiles resulted in power outages across the Dniprovskyi district, adjacent to the Dnipro River, further complicating the lives of the city’s residents.
A person stands outside a cordoned-off area of a building damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 7, 2024.
The attacks began shortly before 7 a.m., coinciding with the morning commute, and spanned several hours. Amidst the chaos, citizens sought refuge in bomb shelters, with one resident, Tetyana, 49, expressing her fear and reliance on the country’s air defence systems to Reuters, “I was scared when air alerts announced, and we rushed here…I hope they will shoot down all of them. I pray for our air defence.”
Ukraine’s Air Force had issued a country-wide air raid alert from around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), anticipating the risk of missile strikes across the nation. The full extent of the damage and the scale of the attack remain unclear, with no immediate response from Russia’s defence ministry regarding the offensive.
In addition to Kyiv, the northeastern region of Kharkiv was also targeted, where non-residential infrastructure bore the brunt of the missile strikes, according to Oleh Synehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, reported electricity disruptions in the aftermath.
