Ukraine war: Russia launches second pre-dawn missile attack in three days
Early in the morning, Russia launched a series of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities for the second time in three days. One of the targets was Pavlohrad, a logistics center close to Dnipro, ahead of an anticipated counter-offensive by Ukraine. The attack caused a significant fire, destroyed many homes, and left 34 people injured. The air raid alert was sounded across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. According to the Ukrainian army, they were able to shoot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles fired.
The most severe damage was in Pavlohrad, which is in Ukrainian-controlled territory, approximately 70 miles from the frontline. Social media posts showed a massive blaze. A resident, Olha Lytvynenko, reported that both doors of her home were smashed open by the explosion wave while she was getting dressed to leave.
She ran outside to find her garage destroyed, everything on fire, and glass shards everywhere. She added that if they had been outside, they would have died.
The Dnipropetrovsk military administration in Ukraine referred to the missile attack as a “tragic night and morning,” stating that an industrial site was among the targets. Nineteen high-rise apartment blocks, 25 private houses, six schools and kindergartens, and five shops were also damaged. According to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official, the strike targeted railway infrastructure and fuel depots. Later, the air raid alert went off in Kyiv at around 04:00 local time, and it lasted for three hours.
However, the military administration confirmed that all missiles and drones aimed at the capital were neutralized. Meanwhile, in the Kherson region, which is partially controlled by Russia, Ukrainian regional authorities disclosed that Russia had conducted 39 shelling, including ground-based weapons, drones, and planes, killing one person.
Recent days have witnessed an increase in attacks in Ukraine, with even areas far from the front lines being targeted. On Friday, 23 individuals lost their lives in Uman, a central city. Ukraine has claimed that it is finalizing plans for a long-awaited offensive against Russian forces, with the support of weapons and military equipment supplied by the West.
Russia, in the meantime, is also preparing for a possible Ukrainian push and has fortified its positions in the occupied territory. Cl Gen Mikhail Mizintsev, who oversaw armed forces logistics as the Russian deputy defense minister, was sacked in the latest change at the country’s military leadership. There have been long-standing complaints that troops on the front line are not receiving enough military equipment and suffer from food and uniform shortages.
On Monday, a Ukrainian official announced that the army had removed Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut, an eastern city that had been under siege for several months. According to General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the ground forces commander, the situation remained “quite difficult,” but “the enemy is unable to take control of the city.”