Russia fires hypersonic missiles
After an attack on Belgorod, Kremlin leader Putin announces that he will intensify the attacks. Russia now fires many missiles, including Kinshal hypersonic missiles. There is an air alert throughout Ukraine. "It's one of the biggest air strikes on Kyiv," writes journalist Trubetskoy. "And it continues."
One day after the Russian announcement of an intensification of the attacks, "many" missiles have been fired towards Kiev, according to Ukrainian reports. Residents of the capital should stay in shelters for the time being, the Ukrainian air force said. "Many missiles" were heading towards Kiev.
Shortly beforehand, the air force had already triggered air alerts across the entire country. "A total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. Do not ignore the air alert! Go to the shelters," explained the air force on the online service Telegram.
Explosions had already been heard in Kiev in the early morning. According to the city administration, the army tried to fend off a Russian drone attack at around 2.00 a.m. local time. "The debris of a drone is burning in an open area in the Desnyansky district," explained Kiev's mayor Vitali Klitschko. He added that rescue workers were on the scene. There were power cuts in several parts of the city, Klitschko wrote on Telegram. At least ten people were injured. Civil infrastructure facilities were hit and a gas pipeline was damaged. Problems with the water supply were also reported.
Journalist Denis Trubetskoy wrote on the X platform: "This is one of the biggest airstrikes on Kyiv that the Ukrainian capital has just experienced. It's really extremely unpleasant here in the northwest. 15 explosions or so heard so far, minor power outages, fire truck sirens, everything that goes with it. And it continues."
Apparently, Russia has also fired several hypersonic missiles. The Russian Telegram channel "Two Majors" wrote: "The Kinshal missiles (11 in total) are being fired every few minutes. This is the first time that such a massive use of this type of weapon has been observed." The Ukrainian air force also confirmed that Russia had fired several hypersonic missiles.
Dozens of drones repelled
The mayor of Mykolaiv in the south of the country said that the Ukrainian air force had shot down drones whose debris had caused a fire. The air force claimed to have fended off 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones during the night.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his intention to step up attacks on military targets in Ukraine in response to Kiev's attack on the Russian city of Belgorod. In the attack on Belgorod on Saturday, 25 people were killed, including five children.
The Ukrainian air force reported attacks by a "record number" of Russian combat drones on New Year's Day. At the end of last year - before the attack on Belgorod - there had also been a major Russian attack on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Dozens of people died and more than a hundred were injured. Russia had bombarded the neighboring country with almost 160 missiles, cruise missiles and drones of various types in just one night. The attack shortly before the New Year celebrations was the heaviest since the start of the war.
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Following Putin's announcement of intensified attacks after the Belgorod incident, Ukrainian reports suggest a barrage of missiles, including hypersonic Kinshal, headed towards Kiev the next day. Residents were advised to seek shelter as a result.
Additionally, Ukrainian forces reported successfully repelling a drone attack earlier in the day, with debris causing a fire in Kiev's Desnyansky district. Numerous explosions were reported, resulting in injuries and damage to civil infrastructure.
Amid this escalation, Russian sources confirmed firing several Kinshal hypersonic missiles, marking a significant use of such weapons.
Source: www.ntv.de
