Ukrainian capital Kyiv was rocked by multiple explosions early Wednesday (Dec 13) as it came under a Russian missile attack.
Kyiv’s mayor said 25 people were injured in the “enemy attack,” the second offensive in a week after a long hiatus.
“According to medics, seven people have already been injured as a result of the enemy attack on Kyiv. Five were hospitalised in the capital’s medical institutions,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on social media.
The mayor also said that the debris from intercepted missiles caused injuries to three people and damaged buildings.
Earlier on Monday, another Russian missile attack rendered more than 100 homes in Kyiv powerless. The attack came as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington DC and had a meeting with US President Joe Biden.
Ukraine’s top network operator targeted
Ukraine was also hit by a major cyberattack that reportedly disrupted its main mobile network, Kyivstar and its largest bank, PrivatBank.
Kyivstar is estimated to have 24 million users and a million home internet users, all of whom were left without internet access. Ukraine said its agencies were investigating the attack, without giving any further details.
PrivatBank also reported some of its cash machines were not working and might be “unstable” or “have no connection”.
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement that Russian hackers could be behind this powerful attack.
“One of the versions currently being investigated by SBU investigators is that the Russian special services may be behind this hacker attack,” it said.
Zelensky on ceding territory to Russia
Amid calls to strike peace with Russia by ceding the occupied territories, Zelensky on Tuesday (Dec 12) said the idea was “insane.”
Reacting angrily to the question by the press, Zelensky said, “Why would Ukraine give up its territory? That’s insane actually. We have women and children living there. It’s a matter of families and their history. We are not going to give up territories to terrorists.”
Watch: Zelensky arrives in us congress to push for military aid to Ukraine
He added that allies needed to send a “strong signal of our unity” to Russia.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos
(With inputs from agencies)
