Russian missile attacks Wednesday wounded people and damaged buildings in several parts of Ukraine, including Kyiv and Mykolaiv, as Ukraine’s air force issued air raid alerts across the country.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram a high-rise building was struck, and that at least nine people were injured in two different districts of Ukraine’s capital city.
The attacks also cut off electricity in some parts of Kyiv.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who is visiting Kyiv, posted on X that he was starting his day Wednesday in a shelter amid the air alarms.
“This is the daily reality of the brave Ukrainian people, since Russia launched its illegal aggression,” Borrell said.
In the southern city of Mykolaiv, the Russian attacks injured at least one person and damaged 20 residential buildings. Gas and water supply networks were also damaged, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in his nightly address Tuesday the establishment of a new military branch focused on drones.
Zelenskyy said the unmanned systems “have proven their effectiveness in battles on land, in the sky and at sea.”
Stopping Russian ground attacks and “large-scale destruction” of Russian forces and their equipment will be the main focus of the drone program, Zelenskyy said.
In recent months, Ukraine has increasingly used drones to targets areas inside of Russia, while also striking Russian naval facilities in Crimea.
Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters