Russian airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv killed 14 early on Wednesday morning amid increased attacks on the capital. 27 others were injured as buildings and warehouses got damaged in a massive fire triggered by the strikes. The capital city of Ukraine experienced air raid alerts for over an hour and seven military sites were struck in an assault that began after midnight.Mayor Vitali Klitschko informed that one warehouse building had been destroyed near the city centre and rescue teams had pulled two people from the ruins.“There may still be people under the rubble”, he wrote on Telegram, adding that search and rescue operations are proceeding, with an ambulance driver being among the injured.Additionally, the city’s military administration said the assault caused an ammonia leak, which was being tackled by emergency crews.According to AFP, journalists heard explosions in Kyiv after midnight following a warning from the Ukrainian air force about incoming ballistic missiles.Kyiv’s military administration said the barrage damaged residential buildings and several warehouses.Earlier, Russian attacks on Saturday had killed 10 people and injured more than 30, while Ukrainian drones sank a large Russian container ship in the Black Sea. As Russia increases its use of ballistic missiles, Ukraine has urged its allies to provide more US-made Patriot interceptors.Both sides have stepped up long-range attacks in recent weeks. Russia more than doubled its use of missiles in July, according to an AFP analysis.Drone attacks have also become a regular occurrence, with Ukraine intensifying strikes on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities and logistics sites in Russia.On Tuesday morning, five people were killed, and 10 others were injured in the Moscow region as Ukraine targeted depots belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries, AFP reported.Moscow’s mayor said on Wednesday that Russian air defences had intercepted and destroyed at least 10 drones heading towards the capital.Meanwhile, Ukraine expressed outrage over a video showing a man being chased by a drone in the battle-struck city of Kherson, describing it as a deliberate “hunt” and “safari” targeting civilians.United Nations human rights monitors have raised concerns over the rising number of civilian casualties, which have reached their highest level since the war began in February 2022.
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