2 Killed in Overnight Russian Attack on Kyiv, as Moscow Claims New Settlement
UKRAINE – An overnight Russian attack on Kyiv left 2 people dead and 3 others injured, according to Ukrainian authorities on Monday.
The Ukrainian State Emergency Service said in a Telegram statement that a four-story medical facility in Kyiv’s Obolonskyi district was struck, sparking a fire that was later brought under control.
“During the inspection of the premises, a human body was discovered. Twenty-five people were evacuated, three people were injured,” the statement added.
Mykola Kalashnik, the governor of the Kyiv region, also confirmed strikes on energy infrastructure, saying the city of Slavutych was temporarily left without power.
“Almost 8,500 families are without electricity. Energy workers are already working on restoration,” he said.
Earlier, Kalashnik said that a person was killed due to the attack in the region’s Fastiv district.
Before the strike, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported the approach of drones toward the Ukrainian capital, urging residents of the city to remain in shelters.
“It is crucial that our partners never forget: air defense is needed every day; funding for the production of interceptor drones is needed every day; equipment for the energy sector is needed every day,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on US social media company X following the attack.
Zelenskyy went on to say that Ukraine will be working with its European and American partners during the week to “ensure that Ukraine has the assistance it needs.”
Separately, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed that its air defenses shot down 137 out of 165 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Russia has not yet commented on the claims, though its Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching 44 drones on the country between 8 pm local time (1700GMT) on Sunday and 7 am local time (0400GMT) on Monday morning.
It claimed that nine of the 44 drones were shot down over the Russian capital and the surrounding Moscow region.
Russia Captures New Settlement in Sumy Region
Russia on Monday claimed that it took control of a border settlement in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
According to a Defense Ministry statement posted on Telegram, Russian forces captured the village of Hrabovske, located about 51 kilometers (31.7 miles) southeast of the city of Sumy.
Hrabovske is adjacent to the settlement of Staroselye in Russia’s border region of Belgorod.
On Sunday, Viktor Trehubov, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, claimed that Russian forces are remotely mining the border village to prevent Ukrainian counterattacks.
“It seems to me that they planned to go further, to attack the Sumy region, but it didn’t work out. That’s why they are creating such a small outpost from Hrabovske,” Trehubov told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne.
In late December, citing the Main Directorate of Communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, state news agency Ukrinform reported that Russian forces crossed into the Sumy region near Hrabovske, due to which Ukrainian troops withdrew from several nearby positions.
It claimed that Russian troops entered the border village and took more than 50 people into Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said 13 of the country’s servicemen were among those taken.
Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also reaffirmed the claim in a separate statement, saying he asked his Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova to provide information on the issue, and that he also sent a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Neither Russian nor Ukrainian authorities have commented on each other’s claims.
