Russia’s Defence Ministry reported a large-scale strike against Ukraine over night, targeting military-industrial facilities and air bases with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and drones. They claimed all intended targets had been hit. Ukrainian officials reported 10 fatalities and 38 injuries as a result of this attack in Kyiv; damage occurred across seven districts as reported by The Guardian, The Economic Times and Wikipedia. +3 In their official statement, Russia’s Defence Ministry did not name Kyiv; rather they focused on military objectives in eastern Ukraine. According to Russia, they do not intentionally target civilians but only strike military or military-related facilities and do not strike at civilian populations or infrastructure indiscriminately. According to The Economic Times, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as an act of terror and requested stricter international sanctions against Russia. Both Europe and Britain summoned Russian diplomats as an expression of condemnation, particularly after their diplomatic missions were damaged during this event. According to The Washington Post, discrepancies between Russia’s official claims and reported civilian casualties has raised serious doubts regarding military assessments as well as their effect on civilian populations.
