Day 309: Over 120 Missiles Fired into Ukraine, Reports Say

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Facts

  • According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak, more than 120 missiles were fired at Ukraine overnight, with blasts reported in Kyiv, as well as the regions of Lviv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltova, Odesa and Zhytomyr. Although a number of these were from missile-defense systems, the scale of the strikes reflects a renewed wave of Russian attacks on the country in the past 24 hours.
  • In Kyiv, local officials said three civilians were injured after debris from a downed missile hit a residential building. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that a total of 16 missiles were shot down over the capital. It was not immediately clear how many missiles evaded missile-defense systems, though there were reports of renewed power outages in the region.
  • Ukrainian officials also said 21 missiles were shot down over Odesa while one was shot down over Sumy. Five missiles were reportedly shot down over the Black Sea, but, it was again unclear how many missiles struck their intended targets.
  • Meanwhile, overnight, a drone attack was recorded in the Kharkiv region — Ukrainian officials said 11 of 13 drones were shot down. Overnight attacks were also reported in the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk. There have been no additional reports of civilian casualties connected to any of the attacks at this stage.
  • In Ukrainian attacks, Russian officials said drones were shot down over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. There were no reports of related casualties. Pro-Russia officials from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) reported that one civilian was killed and three more were injured in Ukrainian attacks on the region.
  • Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, alleged that the frontline situation has reached a stalemate. "The situation is just stuck," he said. "It doesn't move," he continued, adding: "We can't defeat them in all directions comprehensively. Neither can they."
  • Elsewhere, following a meeting on Wednesday between Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock — one of the world's largest investment firms — the pair agreed to coordinate investment efforts for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Sources: Pravda, Ukrinform, BBC News, and CNBC.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNBC. Russia's deliberate targeting of energy infrastructure — unnecessarily increasing the suffering of civilians — amounts to war crimes. This continuing Russian barbarity must be confronted.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Tass. Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are a direct consequence of the failure of the country's leadership to meaningfully engage in peace talks and thinking they can defeat Russia on the battlefield. These attacks will stop once a more sober position is reached.

Predictions