Explosions Reported Across Ukraine Following Further Russian Attacks

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Facts

  • Multiple explosions were reported across Ukraine after Russia launched further drone and missile attacks into the country in the early hours of Monday.1
  • Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said, "Last night, the Russian occupiers attacked military facilities and critical infrastructure of Ukraine with cruise missiles and attack drones."2
  • Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 40 missiles — 37 of which it claimed to have destroyed — while further claiming that 29 of the 35 drones said to be deployed were also shot down.3
  • Meanwhile, in Kyiv, Russia also reportedly launched rare daytime attacks on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether any attacks penetrated air defenses, but damage from falling missile debris was reported in multiple parts of the city. One civilian was reported injured.4
  • Drones and missiles were also shot down over the regions of Poltava, Mykolaiv, and Odesa. There were no reports of casualties or damage except in Odesa where drone debris sparked a fire at a port before it was soon extinguished.5
  • However, Russian strikes in the Khmelnytskyi region successfully struck a military facility, local officials said. The statement said that work to extinguish fires at fuel depots and storage facilities was ongoing while stating that five "aerial vehicles" were destroyed. It did not clarify whether the aerial vehicles were aircraft or drones.6

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2UKRINFORM (a), 3UKRINFORM (b), 4CNN, 5UKRINFORM (b), and 6UKRINFORM (c).

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Associated Press. As this war has dragged into its 15th month, Russia continues to terrorize Ukrainian civilians with regular nighttime attacks, and has now moved to daytime attacks as well. While missile defenses have become far more effective, a risk remains from falling missile debris, and everyone's got a story of how tired they feel.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Whenever Ukraine is ready, Russia is prepared to enter peace talks to end this conflict. However, Ukraine must accept certain preconditions such as demilitarization and dropping its ambitions of joining NATO. The alternative is that these attacks will continue.

Predictions