Massive Russian attack on Kiev: at least 15 dead and 40 injured

The toll, at the moment, from the massive Russian attack on Kiev last night is at least 15 dead and 40 injured. The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Vitaliy Klitschko updated the data on Telegram. President Zelensky also released the dramatic data. The mayor has ordered city mourning for tomorrow.

The attack, which began after midnight local time - therefore after 11pm on Wednesday 19 August in Italy - caused explosions, fires, damage to buildings and electricity cuts in various areas of the city.

A Reuters journalist present in the capital heard more than a dozen explosions. Rescue operations continued for hours, with people trapped inside a residential building and fire brigade teams busy putting out fires in various parts of the city.

The damage affected homes, non-residential buildings and warehouses. A pediatric hospital was also hit, while local authorities reported damage to an educational institution. The attack also disrupted electricity supplies in some areas.

The situation was particularly serious in the Solomiansky district, where residential buildings and other structures were damaged and where rescuers searched for people among the rubble.

In the Sviatoshynsky district, fires broke out in warehouse facilities and damage was reported to a residential building.

The attack was not limited to the city. At least one other person has died in the Kiev region, according to local authorities cited by Reuters.

An industrial structure was also hit in the Brovary area.

During the night, Russia, moving on to the weapons used, "used various types of missiles and 168 drones. The main objective of the attack was the Kiev region. The Ukrainian air defense shot down 186 aircraft". This is what the Ukrainian Air Force reports on social media. Russian forces - it is explained - "attacked the Kiev region with Oniks, Zircon and Iskander-M missiles, as well as with missiles launched from S-400 systems that reach targets with a ballistic trajectory".

A Romanian F-16 fighter destroyed a marine drone hundreds of meters from the Neptun Deep offshore gas extraction project, in the latest incident involving the NATO member country on the border with Ukraine. The Minister of Defense declared it. The drone was “laden with explosives” and did not come from Ukraine, Defense Minister Radu Miruta said on Facebook.

The scale of the bombing also had consequences beyond Ukraine's borders. Poland activated defensive operations of its air force during the Russian attack, a procedure used when massive raids on Ukraine can get close to Polish airspace. Warsaw has not yet reported violations of its airspace.

While another unidentified drone crashed this morning in Romanian territory, near the border with Ukraine - also trespassing into Moldova's airspace according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha -, the Bucharest Defense Ministry said.

At 3:21 am, a drone entered Romanian national airspace, approximately 13 kilometers east of the city of Galati. Three minutes later, the aircraft crashed about four kilometers northeast of Grindu, in Tulcea county, in an uninhabited area.

The offensive comes after weeks of intensified long-distance attacks by both sides. In recent days, Ukraine had conducted some of its largest drone operations against Russian territory, including the Moscow region and logistics infrastructure, while Moscow continued to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure with missiles and drones. On August 18, a Russian attack in the Kharkiv region caused ten deaths.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attack launched overnight hit "military industrial facilities, a transport and logistics center and warehouses in Kiev and the Kiev region". Tass writes it. The attack - it is explained - was conducted "using high precision weapons from land, air, sea and long-range drones".

The Russians "prepared for a long time" for the attack carried out tonight on Ukraine. This was stated by the leader of Kiev, Volodymyr Zelensky. The attack was massive. They combined munitions of various types, cruise missiles and drones to damage civilian infrastructure as much as possible. There is damage in Kiev and the region, as well as in the Odessa and Chernihiv regions,” he wrote on Telegram. And until Ukraine has adequate anti-ballistic defense, Russia will not seriously consider peace.” So on X the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. "We are doing everything possible to guarantee this protection and work on the Freyja program continues daily - he adds - But the Patriot interceptor missiles are still irreplaceable and we need them every day. Every additional missile saves the lives of our citizens".

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha wrote on

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed of the interruption of the external power supply of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) and the transition to emergency power, as specified by the Russian agencies. Previously, the plant had announced that it had activated emergency power supply via diesel generators due to the interruption of external power supply. The external high-voltage power line Ferrosplavnaya-1 of the ZNPP was damaged and then disabled by the automation system.

Ukrainian forces launched 726 drones last night over 18 Russian regions, occupied Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, adding that all the aircraft were intercepted. Mayor Serghei Sobyanin specified that 250 unmanned aircraft were launched towards the Moscow region, where no deaths or injuries were reported.

In Crimea, the Tass agency writes, restrictions have been imposed on the supply of electricity following the damage caused by the attacks. Overall, there were three injured: two in the Belgorod region, where a car was hit, and one in the Ulyanovsk region.

"Russia is losing the war it started. And it is reacting by targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. We are working with member states and our partners to support Ukraine's anti-ballistic capabilities. So that Ukraine has the means to prevent loss of life. The most urgent priority." The president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen declared it on social media.

There is no precise information regarding a possible visit to Russia by American negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and no dates have been set. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "As far as we know, American negotiators are actively working on other aspects of US foreign policy. But at the same time, they are always welcome guests in Moscow. They are always welcome interlocutors for their Russian counterparts, with whom they are in constant working contact, and for President Putin," he said.