By Andrew E. Kramer and Marc Santora
On Wednesday, Russia escalated its deep strikes into Ukraine with a barrage of missiles targeting Kyiv and a northeastern border region, resuming actions after a pause of over two months, as reported by the Ukrainian air force.
This missile offensive occurred as Russian forces aimed to consolidate their strength in terms of personnel and artillery across the eastern front. Ukraine’s military indicated that a series of air assaults were hitting its forces maintaining a foothold in a Russian-held area near the northern border, which was seized the previous summer.
As air raid sirens blared in Kyiv at around 6 a.m. and residents sought refuge in hallways or basements, the Ukrainian air force reported tracking 96 aerial targets entering the airspace of the country, including missiles, signaling an end to a rare 73-day break in Russia’s deployment of these weapons against both civilian and military sites in the capital.
The air force noted that four missiles were aimed at Kyiv, while two additional short-range missiles were launched toward the northeastern border region.
During the pause, the city had faced numerous drone assaults. Also, a significant number of drones were utilized in the strike on Wednesday, according to the air force.
In recent months, Ukraine witnessed an uncharacteristically long interval without major missile strikes. The last significant missile attack took place on September 3, targeting a military academy in the eastern city of Poltava, resulting in over 50 fatalities.
Military analysts have speculated that Russia was amassing missiles for deployment following the arrival of colder weather, which could exacerbate damage in urban areas that suffer from outages in heating and frozen water pipes after strikes. Central Ukraine experienced its first snowstorm of the season on Wednesday.
On the same day, Russia announced the death of a senior naval officer in Sevastopol, Russian-occupied Crimea, due to a bomb detonated under his vehicle.
The Russian Investigative Committee, which looks into serious crimes, is treating the officer’s death as a terrorist act, although they did not disclose his identity.
An official from Ukraine’s SBU, the domestic intelligence agency, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that the officer was responsible for launching cruise missiles from the Black Sea and identified him as Valeriy Trankovsky.
In Kyiv, explosions were reported early Wednesday as authorities indicated that air defense systems were engaging incoming missiles and drones.
In this offensive, Russia coordinated the strikes of fast-moving ballistic missiles and slower cruise missiles, a common tactic. Initially, the Kyiv city military administration suggested that North Korean-made Hwasong ballistic missiles might have been used, but later reports from Ukraine’s air force indicated that two Russian-made Iskander-M ballistic missiles were intercepted.
On Wednesday in Kyiv, falling debris ignited fires in the suburbs and injured one individual, local authorities reported. Additionally, two short-range S-300 air defense missiles that Russia had repurposed for ground attacks were launched over Ukraine’s northeastern border, although details about their targets were not provided by the air force.
Russia also deployed 90 drones, which included Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones.
The recent lull in missile strikes kept the capital’s residents on high alert as they anticipated their return. The last notable destruction caused by missiles in Kyiv occurred in July, damaging a children’s hospital and a maternity facility.
Along Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia, preparations are underway for a joint North Korean and Russian ground offensive following the arrival of at least 11,000 North Korean troops in the area in recent weeks, augmenting Russian infantry units to form a combined force of approximately 50,000 soldiers, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Brussels on Wednesday for discussions with NATO and European representatives regarding Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, acknowledged the involvement of North Korean troops. He stated that they had been “injected into the battle,” which “demands and will receive a strong response.”
The troops organized by Russia are anticipated to attempt to drive the Ukrainians out of a small area of Russian-controlled territory captured during the summer. Aerial bombardments and ground assaults against Ukrainian positions have already begun. Col. Vadym Mysnyk, a military spokesperson, informed Ukrainian media that on Tuesday, Russia dropped 50 guided bombs on an area under Ukrainian control.
The missile attack on the capital coincided with Russia intensifying its offensive in eastern Ukraine, particularly focusing on the Donetsk region, which has seen some of the most intense combat.
Russian forces are now threatening to encircle the Ukrainian troops stationed in Kurakhove, having reached the city’s eastern perimeter, as reported by soldiers, volunteers, and combat footage.
On Monday, Russian forces attempted an amphibious assault on the town across the frigid waters of a reservoir using small inflatable boats, but they were repelled, according to the 46th Airmobile Brigade. This attempt coincided with a mechanized offensive. Video footage released by the brigade depicted the destruction of three tanks and six infantry fighting vehicles. The extent of the clashes and reported damage has not been independently verified.
Russian troops are close to severing the main route supplying Ukrainian forces in the area, posing a threat to large contingents of soldiers defending the town. The approach to Kurakhove is filled with charred vehicles, and the town itself has been ravaged by constant bombardments.
The detonation of a dam on the northwestern edge of the reservoir, which Ukraine has attributed to Russian forces, has complicated evacuation efforts for civilians in downstream villages as floodwaters have been rising throughout the week.
Even without the flooding, the proliferation of drones in the skies has made any movement in and around the town exceedingly perilous, according to residents.
“They can hit anywhere,” stated Yaroslav Chernyshov, 20, a volunteer with the charity Children New Generation, who was involved in assisting with the evacuation of civilians in the region. “Civilian vehicles are just as wrecked as military ones.”
He mentioned losing a colleague in a drone strike during an operation to retrieve a woman with an infant aged two months.
A teammate in a second vehicle was struck by a drone and perished, he recounted. “We attempted to revive him and succeeded in getting him to a stabilization point alive, but unfortunately, he didn’t survive.”
