Ukraine shoots down 10 missiles in Russian strikes, oil depot attack

Smoke billows into the sky over the city after a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 26, 2023. | Photo credit: trendswire

Ukraine shot down 10 missiles and more than 20 Russian-launched drones in overnight strikes against the capital Kiev, the city of Dnipro and the eastern regions, Ukrainian officials said on Friday (May 26).

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said in a statement that a fire had broken out on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Kharkiv after an oil reservoir was hit twice and equipment for pumping petroleum products had been damaged.

Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine this month, targeting mainly infrastructure and logistics facilities ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 10 missiles fired from the Caspian Sea, 23 Iranian-made Shahed drones and two reconnaissance drones during overnight strikes.

It said a total of 17 missiles and 31 drones were launched in the strikes, which began around 10:00 p.m. (19:00 GMT) on Thursday (May 25) and continued until 5:00 a.m. on Friday (May 26). of May).

Several drones and several missiles hit targets in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, authorities said.

There was no immediate news of any deaths.

“It was a very difficult night. It was noisy: the enemy launched a massive attack on the region with missiles and drones,” Serhiy Lysak, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor, said on the Telegram messaging app. Dnipro has suffered.

A rescue worker is seen at the compound of a gas station damaged by a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine, on May 26, 2023. | Photo credit: trendswire

Lysak said several houses, cars and private businesses, including a transport company and a gas station, were damaged. A gas station worker was injured.

Officials in kyiv said the roof of a shopping center, a private house and several cars were damaged.

The governor of the Kharkiv region also reported damage to several private houses and industrial facilities.

Russia, which began its full-scale invasion 15 months ago, has launched hundreds of missile strikes since last October, seeking to destroy critical infrastructure and power facilities.

It has shifted the focus of its missile attacks to try to disrupt the buildup for a Ukrainian counterattack, military officials said.