Russia launched attacks on Ukraine over the weekend – the most destructive of which happened Friday night into Saturday morning.
Ukrainian officials said Russia’s attacks on Kyiv caused significant damage to energy infrastructure, with 40% of residential buildings in Kyiv and nearby districts left without heating.
Russia’s defence ministry said long-range precision weapons were used to target energy facilities, which it claimed were being used “in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex”.
Russia directed almost 500 drones and 40 missiles towards Kyiv, targeting energy and civilian infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.
Pictures showed gaping holes in apartment buildings and homes on fire following the strikes.
The apartment block of BBC journalist Anastasiya Gribanova was struck, leaving some homes on the higher levels of the high-rise building in flames. Gribanova, who was in the building’s lift at the time, was unharmed.
The attack saw Poland, which shares a 530km-long (320 miles) border with western Ukraine, ready its fighter jets, ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance.
Later on Saturday morning, it concluded that there had been no violation of the country’s airspace.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed almost 200 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, including eight over Moscow.
A smaller number of missiles were fired at Ukraine on Saturday night into Sunday, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said.
It said the army had repelled 30 drones in the north, south and east of the country. No casualties were reported.
