VLADIMIR Putin has launched a huge blitz on Ukraine just hours before a crunch meeting between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer.
Nato member Poland has also scrambled fighter jets in response to the bombings as well as a mystery drone that flew into Lithuania.
National Police of UkraineThe apartment block was hit between the 6th and 11th floors[/caption]
East2WestThe apartment building was left shattered[/caption]
XFirefighters put out a blaze in a building[/caption]
Trump is in Scotland today and is expected to discuss with Starmer about “applying pressure” on tyrant Putin to force him into ending the war in Ukraine.
Vlad has spent months talking up the prospect of peace, but appears to have alienated Trump after launching huge barrages at Ukrainian civilians.
Volodymyr Zelenksy addressed the latest blitz saying “our sky defenders intercepted several hundred Russian attack drones”.
Eight people, including a two-year-old girl, were injured in the strikes with shrapnel wounds after one bomb hit an apartment building in the capital.
One person is fighting for their life in a critical condition, while three others were hospitalised.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv at about 10.30pm local time (8.30pm BST), about 15 minutes after air raid sirens went off.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that all of the people were residents of a multi-storey apartment building in the city’s Darnytskyi district on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
The capital and most of Ukraine were under air raid alerts for several hours overnight following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
The Polish Ministry of Defence said the jets took off as a precautionary measure during the strikes.
They said: “Polish and allied aircraft on standby were scrambled and ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems were placed on the highest level of combat readiness.”
In neighbouring Lithuania – another Nato and EU state – a suspected Russian drone triggered a major security alert around 5am on Monday buzzing the capital Vilnius after flying in from Belarus.
The craft has been identified as a Gerbera drone, with an eight-foot wingspan designed to deceive air defence systems rather than cause explosions.
The Lithuanian defence minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the drone could have reached her country after being repressed by Ukrainian air defence electronics warfare.
She said: “Given the active actions of the Ukrainian defence to disorient Russian drones, the probability of lost drones remains increased.”
An unidentified drone flies over Lithuania on Monday morningEast2West
National Police of UkraineThe inside of one damaged home in Kyiv[/caption]
A search is now underway after it is thought to have crash landed inside Lithuania.
It is the second time this month a Russian drone is reported to have entered Lithuanian air space from Belarus.
All of Ukraine was under red alert at breakfast time as the Russian air force sent up three MiG-31Ks armed with hypersonic missiles.
Russia made a second strike within several hours on Starokostiantyniv Air Base in western Ukraine with hypersonic Kinzhal – or Dagger – missiles, according to reports.
Earlier in Sumy border region, a Russian drone attacked a passenger bus, killing three people and wounding 20.
The dead were all women civilians aged three women aged 66, 74, and 78.
Zelensky touts Ukrainian resolve
Volodymyr Zelensky has now spoken about the strikes, saying Ukrainians “know how to defend themselves”.
In a post on social media, he said: “Ukraine’s unmanned systems units, Army and Air Force aviation, anti-aircraft gunners, air defense forces, and mobile fire groups all worked tirelessly throughout the night.
“In total, just in this one night alone, our sky defenders intercepted several hundred Russian attack drones. Our unmanned defenses delivered strong results against “Shaheds”—dozens of Russian drones were shot down. Several missiles were also intercepted overnight. Unfortunately, not all of them—there were also hits.
“But we are constantly strengthening Ukraine’s air shield, and it is vital to maintain clear understanding among partners of how exactly they can help. Step by step, we are closing the funding gap for drone production, and I will be holding new talks with partners on this task later this week. Ukraine’s Defense Minister and National Security and Defense Council Secretary are also working on this.
“Rescue and recovery operations are underway. In particular, addressing power supply. The necessary assistance is being provided to the wounded—at this moment, 8 people have been reported injured. I am grateful to the rescuers, utility workers, police, energy professionals, and everyone involved for their swift response. Ukrainians know how to defend themselves—and they surely will. Glory to Ukraine!”
It comes after Putin mysteriously cancelled his annual naval parade at the last-minute.
Ukraine has managed to destroy over a third of Russia’s combat fleets in the Black Sea since Putin’s invasion in 2022 as well as eliminating over a million soldiers.
The Kremlin said the usual pomp and ceremony of the event had to be cancelled due to “security reasons”.
The Russian Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 99 Ukrainian drones over several regions while later in the day, it said another 51 drones were shot down near St. Petersburg.
The latest attacks come after Russia and Ukraine held a third round of peace talks in Istanbul on July 23.
Talks did not result in a peace agreement as Donald Trump’s 50 day threat to slap massive sanctions on Russia remains in force.
National Police of UkraineEight people have been injured with shrapnel following the blast[/caption]
GettyPoland scrambled jets after Putin launched his latest onslaught[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
