KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones into Ukraine for a second day Tuesday, some of which Ukraine's president said were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets before they reached their targets. were dropped
The attack killed at least five people, destroyed a hotel, houses and residential buildings, as well as critical infrastructure in several regions of Ukraine. There were power outages in Kiev and other cities due to extreme heat.
As it often does in statements following Russian bombing raids, the Ukrainian military listed Russian territories and occupied territories where the weapons were launched. President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials have repeatedly called on the United States to lift sanctions and allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia to target military structures responsible for the war.
“(Allies) try not to talk to me about it. But I keep bringing it up. Usually, it is. The Olympics are over, but ping pong continues,” Zielinski said.
In comments about Ukraine's apparently first use of an F-16 to shoot down a missile, Zelenskiy thanked Ukrainian supporters but said there were too few, and too few pilots trained to fly them. .
Among the Russian regions listed as the source of Tuesday's attack was Kursk, where Ukraine's army chief said his troops had controlled about 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) since launching a surprise attack three weeks ago. has received It is roughly the size of Los Angeles.
General Oleksandr Serskyi also said that Ukraine had captured 594 Russian prisoners in the operation, which was intended to divert Russian troops from fighting in Ukraine. His claims could not be independently verified.
The Kursk operation, the largest incursion into Russia since World War II, has forced some 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Russia has sent reinforcements to the region, but it was unclear to what extent these moves could weaken Russia's position on Ukrainian territory.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, who visited it on Tuesday, said fighting in the region had raised concerns about the risks to the Kursk nuclear power plant. In a post on X, he said the situation was “serious” and called any attack on the nuclear plant unacceptable.
Grossi said that there is now a risk of a nuclear incident. “Today I was told about several incidents of drone attacks on the area, on plant installations. At the plant I saw traces of these attacks.
But the plant is now “operating in a very close to normal mode,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry asserted on Tuesday that Ukraine had suffered heavy casualties in Kursk – some 6,600 soldiers were killed or wounded – and that more than 70 tanks had been destroyed, along with armored vehicles. These figures could not be independently verified.
The Ukrainian military's assertion of territorial control came hours after Russia launched a second consecutive overnight barrage of air and missile strikes.
Five people were reported killed and 16 injured in the strikes, which Zielinski said involved 81 drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
In the Kiev region, which has been struggling with blackouts since Monday's attack that hit energy facilities across the country, five air alerts were called in overnight. The regional administration said air defenses destroyed all the drones and missiles, but the falling debris started a fire in the forest.
After a barrage of more than 100 missiles and as many drones hit Ukraine on Monday, Prime Minister Denis Schmihal said “the energy infrastructure has once again become a target of Russian terrorists” and urged Ukraine's allies to That they provide it. Long-range weapons and permission to use them Targets inside Russia
President Joe Biden called Monday's Russian attack on energy infrastructure “outrageous” and said he had “reprioritized US air defense exports to Ukraine first.” He also said the United States is increasing energy supplies to Ukraine to repair its system and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine's energy grid.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks “used long-range precision air and naval weapons and drone strikes against key energy infrastructure facilities that support the operation of Ukraine's military-industrial complex. All scheduled Targets were hit.”
Russian officials said four Ukrainian missiles were shot down in the Kursk region.
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Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.
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