SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 8 May 2024, Wednesday |

Russia pounds Ukraine in heaviest missile strikes of war

In what Kiev claims was the largest wave of missile strikes in the conflict’s nearly nine-month duration, Russia bombarded cities and energy facilities throughout Ukraine on Tuesday, causing at least one death and severe power disruptions.

The capital Kyiv, the western cities of Lviv and Rivne, Kharkiv in the northeast, the central cities of Kryvyi Rih and Poltava, the southern cities of Odesa and Mikolaiv, and the northern city of Zhytomyr were all hit by missiles.

A body was pulled out of a residential building that was hit and set ablaze in central Kyiv, and a senior presidential official said the power situation was “critical” after heavy damage to energy infrastructure.

In a video posted online, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians that more missile strikes were possible but added: “We are working, we will restore everything, we will survive.”

Power was knocked out in areas of several cities including Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv, and the national grid operator announced emergency electricity outages in northern and central regions, and in Kyiv.

Kyiv’s mayor said half of the capital was without electricity. The mayor of Lviv said 80% of the city had no electricity so lighting, water and heating supplies were off. City authorities in Vinnytsia in west-central Ukraine were told to stock up on water following damage to a pumping station.

“This is the most massive shelling of the power system since the beginning of the war,” Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.

Air force spokesperson Yuiy Ihnat said more than 100 missiles had been fired at Ukraine, surpassing the 84 fired by Russia on Oct. 10 in what was previously the heaviest air strikes.

The country’s biggest mobile phone provider warned of possible signal outages, and the transport system suffered disruptions in several areas.

    Source:
  • Reuters