KYIV—Russia launched a missile strike on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and the surrounding region for the first time in weeks on Saturday, and hammered the country's east and south with drones, according to Ukrainian officials.
According to Serhiy Popko, chief of the Kyiv city military administration, a Russian ballistic missile was launched into the capital about 08:00 a.m. (0600 GMT).
“After a long pause of 52 days, the enemy has resumed missile attacks on Kyiv,” Mr. Popko said on the Telegram messaging app. “The missile failed to reach Kyiv, air defenders shot it down as it was approaching the capital.”
According to Mr. Popko, there were no injuries or serious damage in the capital.
Five residential dwellings and numerous business structures in the vicinity were destroyed, according to Ruslan Kravchenko, regional governor for the central Kyiv region. He said that two Russian missiles hit a field between villages.
Ukraine's air defense forces also shot down 19 of the 31 drones fired by Russian troops in the nocturnal attack on the country's southern and eastern regions, according to a statement from the air force.
Odesa's regional governor, Oleh Kiper, stated that the southern area was targeted with missiles and drones on Friday evening and midnight. Three persons were injured and port infrastructure facilities were destroyed, he added, without providing any specifics.
Since July, when Moscow dropped out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a wartime arrangement that allowed Ukraine's exports to reach numerous nations, Russia has increased its shelling of Ukrainian ports, particularly Odesa.
