Ukraine’s capital Kiev was the target of a “massive” attack after an explosion occurred on Friday (Thursday night Brasilia time), the city’s mayor announced, according to an AFP reporter. Moscow, which launched a major offensive against Ukraine in 2022, has stepped up attacks on Kiev in recent months, particularly targeting Ukrainian energy facilities, railway systems and residential areas.
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“Air defense forces are active in Kiev. Massive enemy attack on the capital,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram, reporting that two people were wounded in Dniprovsky’s eastern district.
AFP reporters witnessed the use of tracer rounds against drones and several deployed anti-missile systems.
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Klitschko said a fire broke out on the roof of a five-story house in the Solomyansky district, and several requests for medical assistance had been registered in the Desnyansky and Shevchenkivsky districts. Another fire broke out in a residential building in the Pozilsky district.
Moscow and Kiev have stepped up attacks on energy infrastructure in recent months, repeating a strategy already used throughout more than three years of war as winter approaches. Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s power and heating grids for nearly four years, destroying much of its civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to step up attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries, with the aim of cutting off vital energy exports to Moscow and causing fuel shortages.