Russia has launched about 20 missile and drone attacks on Kyiv
since the beginning of May, a surge in strikes that the
government says appears aimed at derailing Ukraine's
preparations for a major counter-offensive.
An Air Force statement said its air defences had shot down 15
cruise missiles and 21 drones. It said a wave of drones had been
launched late on Thursday, followed by a volley of cruise
missiles as people slept at around 0300 local time.
"The occupiers are not stopping their attempts to terrorise the
Ukrainian capital with strike drones and missiles," it said.
The capital's military authorities, writing on Telegram, praised
the city's air defences and said there were no reports of damage
or casualties.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who earlier reported two separate
waves of attacks, wrote on Telegram that there had been no calls
for rescue services.
In the region outside Kyiv, authorities said two people were
injured as a result of falling debris, including a child.
"In addition, the falling debris damaged five private houses,"
the state administration said on the Telegram messaging service.
Ukraine says it destroys the majority of the missiles and drones
Russian forces use in attacks, but a nine-year-old girl was
among three people killed in a missile strike on Kyiv on
Thursday after the shelter they rushed to failed to open.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said if local officials were
unable to provide protection, they could be prosecuted.
Russian officials reported more cross-border shelling from
Ukraine on Friday and said two long-range drones had attacked
fuel and energy infrastructure further north in Russia but that
no fires were reported there and there were no reports of
injuries.
(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren; writing by Tom
Balmforth; editing by Jacqueline Wong, Shri Navaratnam, Tom
Hogue, Philippa Fletcher)
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