Key Points – Russia launched one of the war’s most intense air assaults on Ukraine overnight on Monday, June 9th, firing over 300 drones and numerous missiles in what is seen as continued retaliation for Ukraine’s “Operation Spider’s Web.”
-The five-hour barrage targeted multiple cities, including Kyiv and Odesa, killing at least three people and damaging civilian infrastructure, including a maternity ward in Odesa and Kyiv’s historic Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
-While Ukraine’s air force reported a high interception rate, destroying 284 drones and all seven missiles, President Zelenskyy condemned the “brutal onslaught” as an attempt to sabotage peace efforts.
Russia Launches New Wave Of Strikes Against Kyiv
Russia launched one of the most extensive air assaults of the war on the night of Monday, June 9, pounding Ukraine’s capital city with drones and missiles while also striking a maternity ward in Odesa, leaving at least three dead and scores injured in what appears to be the latest retaliatory strike against Ukraine.
The attack, which lit up Kyiv’s skies with fireballs, was part of a broader escalation that has seen three notable bombardments of Ukrainian cities since the famed Operation Spider’s Web attacks that took out dozens of Russian bombers.
According to Ukraine’s air force, 315 drones were launched countrywide overnight, with 250 aimed squarely at the capital. Seven missiles were also directed at the capital, though all were reportedly intercepted.
In Odesa, however, two men were killed when a drone slammed into a medical complex containing a maternity ward. In Kyiv, one person was also confirmed dead and four left hospitalized after waves of explosions rocked seven of the city’s ten districts, blowing out windows, causing fire, and damaging local infrastructure.
Kyiv residents were forced into bomb shelters and bathtubs as air raid sirens sounded from midnight until 5am. In Odesa, young mothers were taken to the basement of a maternity hospital moments before impact.
“The third [impact] was already very loud, and shrapnel flew … [it] rained down in the corridor,” 23-year-old Iryna Britakaru, who gave birth on June 6, told Reuters. The new mother said that projectiles began hitting the building as soon as she and other patients were taken to the basement for safety.
Destroying Ukrainian Heritage
Among the most significant casualties was the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral in central Kyiv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building sustained external damage from a blast wave.
Officials reported that blasts destroyed the cornice on the main apse of the cathedral, which has stood in the city for roughly one thousand years.
Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi slammed Russian forces for damaging the building, accusing them of deliberately targeting Ukrainian identity.
“Last night, the enemy struck at the very heart of our identity again,” Tochytskyi said. “St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a shrine that has survived centuries and symbolizes the birth of our statehood, has been damaged. This 11th-century temple is the soul of the whole of Ukraine.”
In Odesa, Russian drones also hit civilian and cultural targets, including the Odesa Film Studio.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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