Russia has launched a series of drone attacks aimed at Kyiv and cities from east to west across Ukraine.
According to preliminary information provided by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukraine's air defence systems shot down 28 of the 30 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia on Tuesday.
Russia Renews Drones, Missiles Attacks on Ukraine
About twenty enemy targets were identified and destroyed by Ukrainian forces and air defense in the airspace surrounding Kyiv, according to Serhiy Popko, head of the military administration in Kyiv, who made the announcement via the Telegram messaging app.
In the early hours of the morning, air raid sirens could be heard for nearly four and a half hours in Kyiv and for several hours in many other parts of the country.
The military administration of Lviv, a city of approximately 700,000 people located approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Polish border, reported that explosions were heard at approximately 5:00 a.m. (02:00 GMT) and that Russia struck "critical infrastructure" in the city, igniting a fire.
Initial reports indicate that there were no casualties, as per Al Jazeera. There were also missile attacks in the Zaporizhia region of southeastern Ukraine, where the head of the military administration, Yuriy Malashko, stated that Russia targeted agriculture and farming properties as well as telecommunications infrastructure.
There were no reported casualties during the Zaporizhia raids. Additionally, three Shahed drones were shot down over the southern region of Mykolaiv, according to a Telegram message from governor Vitaliy Kim. According to BBC, Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine was attacked by a number of Iskander-M ballistic missiles, according to local officials, who added that nobody was injured.
The majority of the Ukrainian military's current offensive to recapture territory seized by Russia at the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022 is concentrated in the Zaporizhzhia region. In his nightly television address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that in some areas the military was advancing while in others it was defending against a Russian assault.
Russia Warns Ukraine Against Striking Crimea
Earlier in the day, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar announced that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the village of Piatykhatky as they attempt to breach Russia's southern front line. It was the eighth Ukrainian village recaptured in the past week, according to her. The latest developments have not been independently confirmed.
Officials from Western intelligence agencies report that Russian troops have withdrawn from the front line in Kherson following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on June 6.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned that Russia would retaliate if Ukraine attacked Russian-controlled Crimea with longer-range American and British missiles.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, but it is not included in what it calls its "special military operation," which is focused on eastern and southern Ukraine, where Ukraine is fighting to recapture territory. However, Kyiv wishes to reclaim all of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which hosts Russia's Black Sea naval base.
Per Reuters, Shoigu told a meeting of military officials that Moscow had information that Ukraine planned to strike Crimea with long-range rocket systems supplied by the United States and cruise missiles supplied by the United Kingdom.