©Reuters. A missile explosion is seen in the sky above the city during a Russian missile attack, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, March 24, 2024. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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By Pavel Polityuk and Gleb Garanich
KIEV (Reuters) – Russia fired 57 missiles and drones over Ukraine on Sunday, also attacking Kiev and the western Ukrainian region of Lviv, officials said, while the Polish military said one of the Russian cruise missiles briefly breached Polish airspace.
The Ukrainian Air Force destroyed 18 of 29 missiles launched by Russia and 25 of 28 attack drones, the Ukrainian Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app.
Several explosions rocked Kiev early Sunday morning, with Ukrainian air defense forces destroying about a dozen missiles launched by Russia over the capital and its surroundings, Serhiy Popko, head of Kiev’s military administration, said on Telegram.
He added that there was only minor damage from the attack.
Russia has been pounding Ukraine for days in attacks described by Moscow as revenge for Ukrainian attacks during the recent presidential election.
“For the third pre-dawn morning this week, all of Ukraine is on air alert and advised to seek shelter,” U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink wrote on X early Sunday morning.
“Russia continues to indiscriminately launch drones and missiles without regard for millions of civilians, violating international law.”
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
POLAND’S AIRSPACE
One of the Russian cruise missiles launched in the Lviv region of western Ukraine violated Polish airspace, the Polish military said.
“The object entered Polish space near the city of Oserdow (Lublin Voivodeship) and remained there for 39 seconds,” the armed forces reported on the social platform X. “During the entire flight it was observed by radar systems military”.
The military said earlier that Polish and allied aircraft were activated during the attack to ensure the security of Polish airspace.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram that there were no attacks on the city, but that around 20 missiles and seven attack drones were launched against the wider Lviv region, targeting “critical infrastructure”.