Early this morning, loud explosions rocked Ukraine's capital Kiev and the city of Zaporizhzhia as Russia launched simultaneous attacks. The Ukrainian air force issued a ballistic missile alert, indicating Russian missiles were targeting Kiev, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkov, and Chernihiv provinces. Journalists from Kyiv Independent reported: "We heard about 10 explosions. I believe they were ballistic missiles. There was a powerful blast that shook the entire building like an earthquake", adding that glide bombs might have caused the explosions. According to Kyiv Independent, 5 people died and 20 were injured in Zaporizhzhia, with one person injured in Kiev.
Ivan Fedorov, Ukraine's appointed leader of Zaporizhzhia province, confirmed that Russia attacked the provincial capital with ballistic and guided missiles, damaging homes and other structures, causing fires and power outages.
Air raid alerts were lifted after a brief calm, only for Ukrainian officials to issue new warnings due to the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko also warned that the city was under ballistic missile attack, urging residents to seek shelter. He stated that medical personnel deployed to the scene of an attack in Shevchenkivsky district, where a warehouse was damaged.
AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in open-source intelligence on the Ukraine conflict, reported that Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 4 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles at Kiev. Meanwhile, 4 ballistic missiles hit targets in Zaporizhzhia, with at least 6 glide bombs striking the city and 5 targeting locations on its outskirts. The account also suggested that Ukraine's Patriot system fired PAC-3 missiles for the first time in weeks, after being inactive due to ammunition shortages. "At least 4 launches were recorded", AMK Mapping stated, though the interception results remained unclear.
 |
Fire in Zaporizhzhia after Russia's attack on 11/8. Photo: Ukraine-established administration in Zaporizhzhia province
 |
Cars on fire in Zaporizhzhia after Russia's attack on 11/8. Photo: Ukraine-established administration in Zaporizhzhia province
 |
Fire in Zaporizhzhia after Russia's attack on 11/8. Photo: Ukraine-established administration in Zaporizhzhia province
The Ukrainian air force command has not yet released statistics on the number of Russian weapons used or the interception rate. The Russian Ministry of Defense has also not commented.
Russia has recently intensified missile attacks on Ukraine, amid severe shortages of Patriot ammunition in Ukraine's air defenses, leaving them almost defenseless against ballistic missiles.
These attacks by Moscow also followed Kiev's "40-day pressure" offensive, which targeted oil refineries, fuel depots, logistics centers, airports, and other sites deep within Russia and Russian-controlled territories.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on 8/8 that Ukraine reached an agreement with the United States for monthly Patriot missile supplies. However, he did not specify the number of rounds to be delivered each month or whether this was a new or existing agreement.
Pham Giang (According to Reuters, Kyiv Independent)
