Russia launches massive attack on Kyiv after deadly Ukrainian strikes on warehouses

Russia launched a massive aerial attack on Kyiv on Saturday, a day after Ukrainian strikes hit warehouses deep inside Russian territory, killing eight people. The full extent of the damage in the Ukrainian capital was still being assessed.

According to preliminary information, one person has been confirmed dead and eight others injured. However, Ukrainian authorities have provided differing accounts of the casualties and the scale of the damage.

According to AFP, several of its journalists in Ukraine heard massive explosions moments after the Ukrainian Air Force warned residents about incoming Russian ballistic missiles.

Scale of damage

There has been no official confirmation from the Ukrainian government regarding the full extent of the damage. However, local authorities have released preliminary assessments.

Kyiv's city military administration said on Telegram that one person was killed in the attack. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, however, denied any fatalities but said seven people were seriously injured. Ukraine's State Emergency Service, meanwhile, said only two people had been wounded.

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A fire broke out at a supermarket in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district after an apartment building was hit. Strikes were also reported at a shopping and entertainment centre in the Dniprovskyi district.

Russia's retaliatory strikes

The latest Russian assault came a day after Kyiv launched a major aerial attack on Russian warehouses, killing eight people. The operation is considered one of Ukraine's deadliest drone attacks deep inside Russian territory.

The strikes primarily targeted two large warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions operated by Russia's largest e-commerce company, Wildberries. By hitting the logistics hubs, Ukraine appeared to be aiming to disrupt Russia's military supply chains.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operation, saying two major logistics facilities were struck in the Moscow and Tambov regions, located more than 500 km and nearly 700 km from the front line, respectively.

"An oil facility was also struck. In addition, Ukrainian mid-range strikes engaged targets in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and in our temporarily occupied Crimea," Zelenskyy said.

The campaign, which Kyiv calls "long-range sanctions", has frequently targeted Russia's oil infrastructure, contributing to fuel shortages in one of the world's largest oil-producing countries.

Protests continue in Ukraine

Meanwhile, protests in Ukraine entered their third consecutive day following the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister in the latest Cabinet reshuffle by President Zelenskyy.

The decision came as a surprise to many, as Ukraine had recently appeared to gain momentum in the war by launching drone strikes deep inside Russian territory and inflicting significant damage on Russian oil infrastructure.

One possible reason for Fedorov's removal could have been his repeated disagreements with Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over the digitisation and modernisation of the Ukrainian armed forces.