The Russian defense ministry updated said on Monday that Russian air defense systems destroyed 20 UAVs launched from Ukraine, including nine over the Saratov region in Russia, which was temporarily closed to aircraft movement. In response to Ukraine’s invasion, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine, in which at least three people were killed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that about 100 missiles and 100 drones took part in the Russian attack.
In documentation spread on social media from the city of Saratov, the collapse of a 38-year-old building in Saratov is shown, as a result of the Ukrainian attack.
The Ukrainians have been expecting a large Russian drone attack for some time after the surprise invasion of the Kursk region of Russia earlier this month. Last week, the US Embassy issued a warning about an increased risk of attack around Ukraine’s Independence Day, which Ukraine celebrated on Saturday.
Monday morning, explosions were heard near Kyiv, and witnesses reported that they sounded like interceptions by Ukrainian air defense systems.
After about half an hour, power outages were registered in parts of Kiev as a result of Russia’s air raid. In addition, the mayor of Kyiv reported that the water supply had also been cut off in parts of the city after the raid. In footage circulated on social media outlets, large groups of citizens can be seen seeking shelter in the city’s subway stations.
In addition, the local authorities in the country reported that energy facilities in at least three areas in Ukraine were attacked during the Russian assault. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Telegram that Russia’s “desire to destroy our energy will cost the Russians dearly: their infrastructure”.
Ukraine pushed to the border area in Kursk at the beginning of August. Last Wednesday, reports said that the Ukrainian army tried to breach the border into Russia in the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine and Belarus, located further north than the Kursk region. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian forces have captured more than 240 Russian soldiers in the invasion.