Russian assault on Kyiv one in all worst in two years of struggle, says mayor, as dying toll rises to seven – Ukraine struggle reside

Ukraine’s largest non-public vitality producer DTEK mentioned three electrical energy substations and electrical energy networks within the capital Kyiv have been broken within the newest Russian missile strike.

The Ukrainian energy system has been severely broken in Russian bombardments within the final 4 months. Ukraine started implementing rolling blackouts on 15 Could, disconnecting total districts of the capital from the ability grid to save lots of vitality.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy outlined plans final month to attempt to shield Ukraine’s vitality system, which included the event of other renewable vitality sources.

Zelenskiy mentioned the federal government would “continue to work on creating new energy generation and new decentralised energy capacities”. Additionally deliberate was “the construction of new balanced and manoeuvrable capacities for energy”.

“This process is quite challenging in wartime conditions, but we must implement it just as we have already implemented many difficulty projects,” he mentioned.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, will conduct face-to-face talks along with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Moscow on Monday, the Kremlin mentioned.

A prime Indian official mentioned final week that fixing India’s commerce imbalance with Russia and securing the discharge of Indian residents who have been misled into preventing within the Ukraine struggle could be amongst Modi’s prime priorities in Moscow, in keeping with Reuters.

Modi, who was re-elected for a 3rd time period in June, final visited Moscow in 2015. He has met Putin a number of instances since at worldwide summits and the leaders have spoken typically by cellphone. Russia stays one in all India’s most necessary buying and selling companions, notably on weapons and defence. You possibly can learn extra in regards to the nations’ relationships and what we will count on from the assembly between the 2 leaders right here.

Kyiv metropolis authorities have mentioned seven individuals have been killed and at the very least 25 have been injured within the strike on the Ukrainian capital.

In Kryviy Rih, the native metropolis of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 10 individuals have been killed and 31 have been injured, mayor Oleksandr Vilkul mentioned.

A minimum of three individuals have been killed in a Russian strike on the Donetsk oblast metropolis of Pokrovsk this morning, governor Vadym Filashkin mentioned.

The strikes came about on the eve of the three-day Nato summit in Washington, the place many member nations are anticipated to pledge to proceed offering arms and ammunition into Ukraine at present ranges for at the very least one other yr.

The Russian assault on Kyiv on Monday was one of many worst in the course of the two-year full-scale invasion by Moscow, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko mentioned.

“This is one of the worst attacks. You can see: it’s a children’s hospital,” he instructed Reuters. A minimum of seven individuals have been killed within the metropolis in the course of the assault, authorities say (up from a earlier dying toll of 5).

The daylight assault on Kyiv included the usage of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, probably the most superior Russian weapons, Ukraine’s air power mentioned.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has described the Kinzhal, designed to be launched from a MiG fighter jet, as “an ideal weapon”. It could possibly fly at as much as 10 instances the velocity of sound and – like a slower cruise missile – can manoeuvre in mid-flight, making it more durable for air-defence methods to trace and intercept. You possibly can learn extra in regards to the technical capabilities of the hypersonic missile on this explainer right here.

The Kyiv metropolis administration on Monday reported falling particles, presumably from intercepted missiles, within the Solomianskyi, Dniprovskyi, Holosiivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kyiv, beginning fires.

The pinnacle of Ukraine’s presidential workplace has mentioned the assault on Kyiv this morning occurred at a time when many individuals have been within the metropolis’s streets.

Listed here are a few of the newest pictures being despatched over the newswires within the wake of the strikes:

We reported earlier that Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, was rocked by explosions this morning, together with a number of others areas in Ukraine. We are actually receiving extra data from officers on the influence of the Russian assaults.

Native authorities, citing preliminary data, mentioned a Russian missile assault on Kyiv has killed 5 individuals and injured 9 others.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, mentioned Russia fired greater than 40 missiles at Ukrainian cities on Monday, hitting a youngsters’s hospital in Kyiv and damaging residential buildings and infrastructure throughout the nation. The youngsters’s hospital that was hit was the Okhmatdyt hospital, Ukraine’s largest youngsters’s medical centre, in keeping with Ukraine’s Suspline information. There was no official assertion saying whether or not or not there was any casualties there.

In a submit on X, Zelenskiy mentioned:

All providers are engaged to rescue as many individuals as attainable. And your entire world should use all its dedication to lastly put an finish to the Russian strikes.

Killing is what Putin brings. Solely collectively can we carry actual peace and safety.

Kyiv was final focused by drones and missiles in mid June. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, mentioned fragments of projectiles downed by air defence methods had fallen in two central districts of the capital. Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk additionally got here underneath assault this morning, in keeping with stories.

Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, will take part within the Nato summit in Washington this week, his authorities workplace has confirmed.

The Hungarian chief mentioned on Monday that he would go to Washington after discussing a Chinese language peace plan for Ukraine in Beijing.

Hungary has been at odds with different western nations over Orbán’s continued cultivation of shut ties to Russia and refusal to ship arms to Ukraine.

The Nato summit can be eagerly watched by diplomats and the press. We expect navy bulletins on help for Kyiv and to search out out who Donald Trump’s working mate can be within the US presidential election. All eyes can be centered firmly on Joe Biden, the US president, although, after his disastrous debate efficiency confirmed fears many had about his cognitive talents and led to requires him to drop out of the presidential race.

Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, mentioned he obtained “significantly less” than he requested as a part of the funds for his ministry for 2025.

Pistorius had sought to extend annual defence spending by €6.7bn ($7.25bn) in 2025. Neither he nor the federal government have commented on how a lot he’ll obtain.

“This is annoying for me because it means I can’t initiate certain things as quickly as ‘Zeitenwende’ and the threat situation require,” Pistorius mentioned.

Days after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz introduced a 100-billion-euro particular fund to carry the navy again on top of things.

“I have to adapt to it and make the best of it,” Pistorius mentioned in reference to the defence funds for 2025.

Ukrainian air defences have been engaged on Monday in repelling a uncommon daytime Russian missile assault on Kyiv, native authorities mentioned.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions within the Ukrainian capital and urged residents to remain in shelters.

As much as 10 explosions might be heard throughout town, in keeping with Kyiv Impartial reporters on the bottom, with notably loud explosions heard within the centre of town, close to the world of the Taras Shevchenko Park.

Whats up and welcome to the Guardian’s reside protection of the struggle in Ukraine. The time has simply gone previous 10:40am in Kyiv.

Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who’s Europe’s most pro-Russian chief, met Chinese language President Xi Jinping on Monday, days after holding talks on a possible Ukrainian peace cope with Vladimir Putin.

The Chinese language chief instructed visiting Orbán that world powers ought to assist Russia and Ukraine re-start direct peace talks, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

“The international community should create conditions and provide assistance for the two sides to resume direct dialogue and negotiations,” Xi instructed Orban, including: “Only when all major powers exert positive energy rather than negative energy can the dawn of a ceasefire in this conflict appear as soon as possible.”

China, which has shut ties to Russia, has been selling a six-point peace plan it issued with Brazil in Could, whereas Orbán has kicked off a so-called “peace mission” after his nation assumed the EU’s rotating presidency at first of this month.

Orbán’s go to comes after he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv and in addition went to the Kremlin, a visit that drew a powerful rebuke from his allies.

In different developments:

• Russia launched a missile assault in opposition to Ukraine this morning, the second such strike prior to now few hours, the Kyiv Impartial stories. Telegram channels reported explosions in Kropyvnytskyi within the Kirovohrad area and Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk area. Air defence was additionally reported as being lively in Kyiv’s suburbs, whereas the Ukrainian air power reported downing three out of the 4 cruise missiles fired over Zhytomyr and Cherkasy oblasts earlier within the day.

• Nato will want between 35 and 50 further brigades to totally realise its new plans to defend in opposition to an assault from Russia, a navy supply instructed Reuters.

• Chinese language navy personnel are to start joint “anti-terrorist training” with their counterparts in Belarus on Monday, near the border with Poland. The “Eagle Assault” workout routines by the 2 Russian allies amid the struggle in Ukraine can be held over 11 days within the border metropolis of Brest, Belarus, and can contain duties comparable to hostage rescue and anti-terrorism operations, China’s ministry of nationwide defence mentioned. It comes days after Belarus formally joined the Shanghai cooperation group led by China and Russia, deepening their coordination on navy, financial and political issues.

• Russia’s Federal Safety Service (FSB) blocked an try by Ukraine to organise the hijacking of a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber and fly it to Ukraine, the FSB mentioned on Monday. “Ukrainian intelligence intended to recruit a Russian military pilot for a monetary reward and the provision of Italian citizenship, to persuade him to fly and land a missile carrier in Ukraine,” the FSB mentioned. These claims haven’t but been independently verified.

• The Netherlands will start sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “without delay”, after export licences have been granted, international minister Caspar Veldkamp mentioned throughout a go to to Kyiv on the weekend.

• The UK’s newly appointed defence secretary, John Healey, introduced a contemporary British navy support bundle for Ukraine on Sunday as he visited the southern port metropolis of Odesa and met along with his counterpart Rustem Umerov. The transfer is designed to reassure Ukraine and display to Moscow that UK navy backing stays unchanged after final week’s change of presidency and forward of this week’s Nato summit, the place further navy assist for Kyiv can be mentioned. US Home Speaker Mike Johnson will meet with Zelenskiy on Wednesday in the course of the summit.