Explosions in Kyiv as African Leaders Visit Ukraine on Peacekeeping Mission

Facts

• Explosions were reported in the Ukrainian capital as a delegation of African leaders made their way to Kyiv on a peacekeeping mission on Friday. The delegation — which was led by South African Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa and included senior officials from Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and the Republic of Congo — were paying their respects at a church in the Kyiv outskirts of Bucha when air raid sirens in the capital began to blare.¹
• Ukraine's air force later said that Russia launched a total of 12 missiles and two reconnaissance drones over the country as a whole, further claiming that all 14 aerial vehicles were shot down by air defenses.²
• However, in the wider Kyiv region, there were reports of damage and an unspecified number of injured in at least one of the strike locations. "Private houses have been damaged as a result of a Russian missile strike in one of the districts of Kyiv Oblast," said Andrii Niebytov, head of national police in Kyiv region. "A fire has broken out. There are casualties."³
• Meanwhile, in a statement, Vincent Magwenya, presidential spokesman for Ramaphosa, didn't mention the attacks on Kyiv — simply stating that the peace mission "is proceeding well and as planned" — but seemed to be more concerned over a diplomatic row that's erupted with Poland over the past day.⁴
• On Thursday, as Ramaphosa arrived in Poland on his way to Ukraine, a separate charter flight carrying members of his Presidential Protection Service (PPS) and South African journalists was effectively impounded by Polish authorities who did not let the passengers disembark the plane. As the standoff continued into Friday, Gen. Wally Rhoode, head of the protection detail, accused Polish authorities of sabotage and racism, further claiming that a female member of the team was strip-searched by Polish officials.⁵
• According to an airport spokesman, the aircraft will be held at Warsaw's Chopin airport until Sunday, meaning those on board will be unable to join the delegation in St. Petersburg on Saturday as hoped, as the African leaders travel to Russia for the second leg of their peace mission. Some passengers have begun disembarking and heading to a hotel.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²UKRINFORM, ³Ukrainska Pravda, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵African Insider, and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Gov.pl Website. The South African charter plane was stopped as the country's representatives failed to comply with the standard entry procedures. These violations included bringing in dangerous cargo that the South African delegation didn't have the right paperwork for, as well as the presence of officials who weren't reported to Polish officials before entry.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by African Insider. This is an unacceptable move from Polish authorities. They are not only sabotaging the South African leader's security detail; this is racist behavior. Further still, Polish authorities also needlessly strip-searched a female member of the team.

Predictions