Russian air attacks kill 12 in Kyiv region on sixth day of strikes

By Valentyn Ogirenko and Anna Pruchnicka

KYIV, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Russian ‌air attacks killed 12 people ​and injured many ​more in Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Tuesday, authorities said, marking the sixth straight day of intense strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour in 2022, has escalated its air attacks against Ukraine in recent months as its progress ‌has slowed on the battlefield.

In a new tactic since last week, Moscow has sent swarms of drones to plague Kyiv and ⁠nearby areas day and night, killing residents and damaging homes and warehouses. Many of the drones are new, fast-flying jet-powered models that are harder to intercept.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russian drones and ‌ballistic missiles had targeted residential areas and railway ‌infrastructure in the overnight attacks.

'ONE DAY AT A TIME'

Eight people were killed in Kyiv, most of them railway workers, officials said.

Four others were killed and 13 injured in the town of Boryspil, outside the capital, during an attack that hit a residential building and other sites, Governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram. One ​of the dead outside Kyiv was an Indian citizen.

More explosions were heard in Kyiv on Tuesday morning, when three people were injured in a daytime drone attack that caused a fire at an apartment block, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"Right now, I think everyone is living one day at a time. It's especially difficult to ⁠make long-term plans because you never know when something like what happened today might happen," Svitlana, a 40-year-old resident of the damaged apartment complex, told Reuters.

"We've reached our limit, to be honest. It's very difficult psychologically, especially ​when you still have to work during the day. But we're holding on," another resident, Diana, 28, said.

A couple, Bohdan and Oleksandra, said they were planning to move away from Kyiv this winter.

The Russian strikes also targeted a border crossing with NATO-member ​Romania in the Black Sea region of Odesa. Thousands of families there were left without electricity, ‌President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

RENEWED APPEAL FOR WESTERN HELP

Foreign Minister Sybiha called on Ukraine's allies to increase economic pressure on Russia and to provide Ukraine with more air defences and support for its energy system. Kyiv is running critically low on the U.S.-made Patriot ⁠interceptors capable of stopping Russia's ballistic missiles, though it recently received a small batch of them.

Ukraine's air force said it downed five ballistic missiles overnight.

Russia sent more than 2,800 jet-powered drones against Ukraine in August, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said, after increasing their use fivefold in July compared with June.

Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russia, targeting oil refineries and logistics infrastructure, ⁠including warehouses of online shopping companies.

Russian regional governors said air attacks caused a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga, a major export outlet in the northwest, and damaged civilian facilities in ​the Samara region, home to a number of oil refineries.

A civilian was also killed in an attack on Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, the acting governor said.

Estonia's defence forces said drones used in a Ukrainian strike against Russia had briefly entered Estonian airspace. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the incident — the latest of a series in recent months — showed how important ‌it was to support Ukraine with air defence assets.

Russia's defence ministry said Moscow hit military and energy facilities in Kyiv and Odesa overnight, as well as regions surrounding these cities.

PEACE EFFORTS

U.S.-led peace talks stalled this year as Ukraine refused Russian demands to ‌cede territory and as Washington has become increasingly preoccupied with the conflict with Iran.

Zelenskiy said on Monday he had held a "detailed and constructive" call with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve ⁠Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and that the sides were working to finalise ‌dates for a visit to Ukraine.

Indian Prime Minister ​Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin the war needed to end for humanity's sake. Putin said Moscow was "moving forward along this path".

(Reporting by Valentyn Ogirenko and Vladyslav Smilianets in Kyiv, Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo and Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Aidan Lewis ‌and Gareth Jones)

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