Explosions in Kiev after Russian airstrike - wounded in Kursk region of Russia
In a report by AFP, air raid sirens were blaring in Kyiv. At least two flashes were seen in the night sky. The Kyiv military administration announced on Telegram that the city's air defense systems had been activated to repel the attacks. No casualties or damage were initially reported.
According to the Ukrainian air force, other Ukrainian regions were also affected by Russian air strikes. There were drone attacks in five other regions, the air force explained.
Russia launches massive drone and missile attacks on cities in Ukraine almost every night. Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's invasion since February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been urging allies to quickly deliver new air defense systems for weeks.
Further Russian air strikes were feared in Ukraine in response to the advance of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk border region. Ukrainian authorities said they had evacuated 20,000 people from the Sumy region bordering Kursk.
Russian and Ukrainian troops have been fighting for the fifth day in a row. Since the start of their offensive on Tuesday, the Ukrainian army has reportedly advanced several dozen kilometers into the Kursk region, according to independent observers. President Zelensky spoke about the offensive for the first time in his evening address, saying that Kyiv is trying to "shift the war to Russian territory".
Kyiv had been silent about the offensive for several days, but on Saturday evening, Zelensky said that the commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, had "reported on the front, our actions, and the shift of the war to the territory of the aggressor". The Ukraine is proving that it is "achieving justice and putting pressure on the aggressor". The US, Kyiv's closest ally, said it had not been briefed on the operation in advance.
On other fronts, Ukraine reported the lowest number of "engagements" on its territory since June 10 on Saturday. This could be seen as a sign that the advance in Kursk is relieving other fronts where the Russian army had recently increased pressure.
In the face of the Ukrainian advance in Kursk, local authorities said they had evacuated more than 76,000 people to safety. Additional trains to the capital Moscow and humanitarian aid to the border region were deployed. "The war has come to us," a woman said upon arrival at the Moscow station.
Meanwhile, 13 people were injured in the city of Kursk in a Ukrainian air strike overnight on Sunday, according to regional governor Alexei Smirnov. Two of them were seriously injured when debris from a downed Ukrainian missile fell on a building.
Earlier, Russian authorities announced the start of anti-terrorist operations in the three border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk. Security forces and the army have been granted wide-ranging powers. The movement of citizens is restricted, vehicles can be confiscated, telephone conversations can be tapped, and certain areas can be closed off. The Russian state anti-terrorism committee said on Friday that Ukraine had launched a "precedent-setting attempt to destabilize the situation in a number of regions in our country".
The Kyiv military administration further announced that they were preparing for potential air attack responses, following the activation of air defense systems. The woman at the Moscow station expressed concern about the increased air strikes, citing the recent injury of 13 people in Kursk.
