Russia launches an attack on Kiev – Military – DW – 06/12/2024

Ukrainian air defense forces said they shot down five out of six missiles and all 24 drones launched by Russia in an attack overnight.

All five missiles targeting the capital Kiev, including the hypersonic Kinzhal missile, were shot down, according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, while an Iskander ballistic missile managed to penetrate the south of the country.

In Kiev, sirens sounded twice for two hours.

Several fires broke out outside the city due to falling missile debris, including at an unspecified industrial site. A gas station, several garages and a private building were said to have been damaged.

The district governor said that one person was injured.

The United States will provide Ukraine with another Patriot missile system New York times The Associated Press reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.

Officials said President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of the Patriot system, but no official announcement has yet been made.

This will be the second Patriot system provided by the United States to Kiev after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The new system will come from Poland and could be deployed on Ukraine’s front lines in the next few days. New York times mentioned.

The Pentagon has provided Kiev with an unknown number of missiles for this system since the start of the war to help Kiev repel Russian air attacks.

Last month, Zelensky urged the United States to send American-made Patriot systems, arguing that they would help his forces fight the nearly 3,000 bombs he said Russia launches into the country every month.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that his country will send another 100 Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine in a joint effort with Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

The announcement came on Tuesday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.

Germany is Ukraine’s second largest supporter after the United States and the largest supporter in Europe.

The Ukrainian army said on the Telegram application that Russia launched an air attack on Kiev in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

She added that Ukrainian defense systems responded to the strikes, without providing further information. DW correspondent Emmanuel Chiz reported that several explosions were heard in Kiev.

Air raid alerts were announced across the country after midnight.

MF/RM (Reuters, Associated Press, AFP)