Ukraine says Russia launched massive combined attack on Kyiv

Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine using missiles and drones, with Kyiv as the primary target, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have stated.

It said the assault involved a combination of attack drones and air-, land- and sea-launched missiles fired simultaneously from multiple directions, Caliber.Az reports.

"The main target of the strike was Kyiv. A distinctive feature of this massive attack was the simultaneous use of different types of air attack weapons from various directions, including a large number of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones," the Armed Forces noted.

Ukraine's Air Force said radar units detected 570 aerial targets, including 74 missiles and 496 drones of various types. The missiles included four 3M22 Zircon anti-ship missiles, 24 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and S-400 missiles, 34 Kh-101 cruise missiles, eight Kalibr cruise missiles and four Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles.

The drones included Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, Banderol loitering munitions and Parodiya decoy drones.

The attack was countered by fighter aircraft, air defence missile units, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems and mobile fire groups, the military emphasised.

As of 9:00 a.m. local time, Ukraine said its air defences had intercepted or suppressed 524 aerial targets, including 48 missiles and 476 drones.

According to preliminary information, 25 ballistic missiles and 12 attack drones struck 33 locations, while debris from intercepted drones fell at 18 locations.

The military stressed that information on several missiles was still being verified.

"The attack is ongoing. Several attack drones remain in Ukraine's airspace. Do not ignore air raid alerts. We express our condolences to all those affected and to the families who lost their loved ones in this horrific terrorist attack. We will avenge them," the Armed Forces added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov