Russian missiles hit vital infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv

KYIV, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Russian missile attacks hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday morning, and the governor of another region warned that a massive missile strike could follow in the next few hours.

Reuters reporters heard a series of explosions in Kyiv even before the air raid siren sounded, which is highly unusual. No one was injured, but missile debris caused a fire at one location and damaged homes outside the capital, officials said.

“Explosions in the (eastern) Dniprovskiy district. All agencies are moving towards the site. Stay in your shelters!” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia, which invaded the country last February, has been bombarding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since October, causing power outages and disruptions to central heating and running water as winter bites.

“Infrastructure was affected. No critical damage or fire. All emergency services are working at the site. No one was injured,” the Kyiv military administration said in a statement.

Ukrenergo, which runs the power grid, said its workers were rushing to repair the damage and the grid was struggling with a power deficit caused by earlier attacks, even though it was -2 Celsius (28 Fahrenheit) at Kyiv, only slightly cold.

Kyiv mayor said debris from a missile fell on a non-residential area in Holosiivskiy district, west of Kyiv, causing a fire but no injuries.

Residential infrastructure was also affected in the village of Kopyliv, in the region just outside the capital. Windows and roofs of 18 private homes were smashed or damaged by the blast, said Oleksiy Kuleba, the regional governor.

Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said the Russian missiles were likely fired along a high, looping ballistic trajectory from the north, which would explain why the air raid siren did not sound.

Ukraine is unable to identify and shoot down ballistic missiles, he told online outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

MISSILES CATCH KHARKIV

In northeastern Ukraine, Oleg Synehubov, regional governor of Kharkiv, said two S-300 missiles hit the town near the Russian border early on Saturday.

The attacks hit critical energy infrastructure and industrial facilities in the region’s Kharkiv and Chuhuev districts, he said.

“Our emergency services units and energy workers are working to liquidate the consequences and stabilize the situation with the energy supply,” he said.

The governor of the central Cherkasy region warned that a massive Russian missile strike could follow later on Saturday, while the governor of Mykolaiv in the south said 17 Russian Tupolev fighter jets took off from their airbases.

But after their statements, the alarm against air raids in Kyiv and the surrounding region was lifted.

Saturday’s strikes came as Ukrainian and Russian forces battled for control of Soledar, a small mining town in eastern Ukraine that for days has been under relentless Russian assault. .

Russia said on Friday its forces had taken control of Soledar, in what would be a rare achievement for Moscow after months of battlefield setbacks, but Kyiv said its troops were still fighting in the city.

Reuters could not immediately verify the situation at Soledar.

Writing by Tom Balmforth Editing by Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich and Frances Kerry

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