Kyiv Sept 2:
An Indian citizen was among 12 people killed in a massive wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as residential buildings and civilian infrastructure came under fire in several regions.
Zelenskyy said Russian forces launched ballistic missiles, jet-powered drones and guided aerial bombs against Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro regions. Dozens of people were also injured in the attacks.
“Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post, expressing condolences to the families of those killed.
The attacks continued for several hours and caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. In Kyiv, seven people were killed when a strike hit a railway depot, according to Zelenskyy. In Boryspil, a five-storey residential building was damaged, forcing the evacuation of around 50 people. Four people were killed and 13 injured in the city, he said.
Nearly 350 emergency responders were involved in rescue and recovery operations in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukrainian authorities were also working to restore essential services in affected areas.
Zelenskyy said thousands of families in and around Odesa were left without electricity following continued Russian guided-bomb and drone attacks. A border crossing with Romania and export infrastructure were also damaged, according to the Ukrainian president.
The latest attacks marked another major escalation in Russia’s long-running air campaign against Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said the extensive use of ballistic missiles and drones had placed additional pressure on the country’s air-defence systems.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and renewed his appeal for international assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities. He argued that the scale of civilian casualties was directly linked to Ukraine’s ability to intercept incoming missiles and drones.
The death of an Indian citizen has added an international dimension to the latest attack. Indian nationals have continued to be present in Ukraine for employment, education and other purposes despite the prolonged conflict.
With the fighting continuing and Russia maintaining its aerial campaign, Ukrainian authorities are bracing for further attacks while seeking additional international military and humanitarian support.