The Ukrainian Air Force has put the whole country on alert after detecting 20 Russian Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers taking off to launch missiles.
"Alarm! A total of 16 enemy Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air, capable of launching cruise missiles. Take shelter, do not ignore the air defense alert," the Ukrainian Air Force Command said today in a nationwide alert.
The Ukrainian military said the 16 Tu-95MS took off from the Olenya base in the north and Engels in the south, while the four Tu-22M3 bombers took off from the Shaikovka airfield near the Belarusian border.
The missile then appeared in the sky over the northern Sumy region and headed towards the Myrhorod area in Poltava province, where Ukraine's key air base is located, as well as towards the capital Kiev, according to the country's air defense.
Following an air defense alert, more than 10 loud explosions were heard in Kiev, causing many buildings in the central area to shake.
Russian Tu-95MS bomber launches cruise missile in 2017. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
The Ukrainian Air Force Command also announced that Russia had deployed 35 Shahed-136/131 suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting the country from two directions early this morning, affirming that it had intercepted all of the aircraft.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the loud explosions in the sky above the city were caused by air defense systems intercepting the target, adding that fragments from the UAV caused a fire in the inner city district of Desniansky. The exact casualties and damage caused by the suicide UAV attack are unknown.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the information.
President Vladimir Putin on January 1 accused Kiev of "wanting to intimidate and destabilize" by attacks on civilians, asserting that Moscow was capable of launching similar retaliations to the attack on the city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine two days earlier.
However, Mr Putin stressed that Russia would only target enemy military facilities. "We will use high-precision weapons to strike decision-making centres, troop concentrations, mercenaries and sensitive military targets," he said.
The situation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Graphics: WP
Russia has recently stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure with missiles and drones. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said on December 19, 2023 that Moscow has a large amount of weapons to attack Kiev's infrastructure, as well as enough suicide drones to sustain daily attacks.
Vu Anh (According to AFP, Reuters )
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