KYIV - Russia on Monday hit Ukrainian air bases in overnight strikes, while Ukraine’s forces shelled industrial facilities inside Russia, as both sides sought the upper hand ahead of what Kyiv hopes will be a decisive counter-offensive.
In a rare acknowledgement of damage to a military “target”, Ukraine said work was on to restore a runway, and that five aircraft were taken out of service in the western region of Khmelnitskiy.
Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited the Defence Ministry as saying more than one air base was hit.
The Ukrainian capital came under attack for the 16th time in May in the morning after a second successive night of bombardments.
But officials said most of the drones and missiles fired overnight had been shot down and no targets were hit in the morning.
“Another difficult night for the capital,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging channel.
The attack follows the largest drone barrage launched on Kyiv the previous night, which killed one person and injured several.
Ukraine said it shot down 29 of 35 drones and 37 of 40 cruise missiles fired overnight by Russia.
In its attack on Monday, Russia used a combination of Iranian-made Shahed drones and cruise missiles, the city’s military administration said.
“With these constant attacks, the enemy seeks to keep the civilian population in deep psychological tension,” Mr Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s military said an attack on the Odesa port caused a fire and damaged infrastructure but did not specify whether the damage threatened grain exports.
Ukraine is an important global grain supplier, and the port is vital for shipping agricultural products abroad. It is also one of three included in a United Nations-brokered deal on the safe export of grain via the Black Sea.
With a long-promised Ukrainian counter-offensive looming to recapture territory taken by Russia in the 15th months of the war, Moscow has intensified its attacks, targeting military infrastructure and supplies.
While Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia, a series of strikes inside the country have targeted military, energy and transport infrastructure, with Moscow blaming Kyiv for the attacks. REUTERS
