At least 7 killed, more than 50 wounded across Ukraine

Ukrainian rescue workers operate at the scene of a Russian strike on a medical facility in central Kyiv on Monday (local time). [EPA]
Ukrainian rescue workers operate at the scene of a Russian strike on a medical facility in central Kyiv on Monday (local time). [EPA]

Russia unleashed daytime strikes across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, damaging a national scientific research institution and a business center and leaving a trail of casualties.

At least seven people were killed and more than 50 wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine from Monday night through Monday afternoon, according to Reuters, AFP and other news agencies.

Four people died in Kyiv alone, including one Azerbaijani national. One person was killed and several others were wounded when Russian drone strikes hit the National Academy of Sciences, which houses government-funded research institutions. The area sits in central Kyiv — home to the German Embassy and major government buildings — and had previously seen relatively few attacks.

A gas station in the Kyiv area was also struck. Russia has been targeting Ukrainian fuel stations with increasing frequency in recent months, hitting roughly 300 such sites. In the Dnipro region, three civilians were confirmed killed in a drone strike on a business center.

Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, was hit overnight by Russian glide bombs, wounding 28 people including nine children. In the Odesa region on the Black Sea, a vessel flying the Palauan flag came under attack, while infrastructure was destroyed in Zaporizhzhia and other areas. On Monday, a Russian drone strike damaged a building used as the residence of Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Kyiv.

Russia has been escalating its offensive against Ukraine using jet-propelled drones. The number of such drones launched by Russia surged from 350 in June to 1,500 in July and 2,800 in August this year.

The jet-propelled drones are equipped with small Chinese-made jet engines and can fly at altitudes of 5 kilometers at speeds of 400 to 600 kilometers per hour. Ukraine's military said its interception rate for these drones stands at around 60 percent — well below the roughly 90 percent rate for conventional drones.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretsky advised people with limited mobility and other vulnerable residents to consider leaving Kyiv ahead of the harsh winter months, when Russian attacks are expected to intensify. His concern is that concentrated Russian strikes on energy facilities — as seen last winter — could cut off electricity and heating and trigger a surge in demand for emergency services.

Ukraine said it struck two defense factories in Russia's Tula and Voronezh regions and an oil facility in the Krasnodar region. Despite US-mediated efforts to broker an energy truce, Russia and Ukraine have failed to reach an agreement and continue to trade strikes.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com