Dozens injured in Russian missile attack

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched its second large salvo of missiles at Ukraine in recent days early Monday, damaging buildings, killing two people and wounding 40 in the eastern city of Pavlohrad but failing to hit Kyiv, officials said.

Air raid sirens began blaring across the capital about 3:45 am, followed by explosions as Ukrainian defense systems intercepted missiles.

Eighteen cruise missiles were fired from the Murmansk and Caspian regions, and 15 of them were intercepted, said Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

The head of Kyiv's city administration, Serhii Popko, said all missiles fired at the city were shot down, as well as some drones. He didn't provide further details.

The attack follows Friday's launch of more than 20 cruise missiles and two explosive drones at Ukraine, the first to target Kyiv in nearly two months.

In that attack, Russian missiles hit an apartment building in Uman, a city about 215 kilometers south of Kyiv, killing 21 people, including three children.

In Monday's attack, missiles hit Pavlohrad, in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, killing two people and wounding 40, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Monday that Russia conducted "a group missile strike with long-range precision-guided airborne and seaborne weapons on facilities of Ukraine's defense industry … all designated facilities were struck".

In another development, Ukrainian units have ousted Russian forces from some positions in the Bakhmut region amid fierce battles, a top Ukrainian general said on Monday.

"The situation (in Bakhmut) is quite difficult," said Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Ukrainian commander of ground forces, in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

The White House on Monday estimated that Russia's military has suffered 100,000 casualties in the last five months in fighting in the Bakhmut region and other areas.

Agencies via Xinhua