Death toll from Russian attack on kyiv rises to nine
The Ukrainian capital suffered barrages of Russian missiles and drones that destroyed entire floors of residential buildings and left at least nine dead on Thursday morning, according to authorities, after a warning from Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian emergency services reported at least “nine people killed and 34 injured due to the Russian attack on the city” of kyiv.
“Once again, the enemy is deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians. The damage is considerable and the number of injured is significant, including children,” wrote the head of the military administration of the Ukrainian capital Timur Tkatchenko on Telegram.
Series of explosions in kyiv in the night and morning
A new series of explosions was heard early Thursday in the center and east of the Ukrainian capital, after the air force warned that several missiles were approaching. “kyiv is under fire from ballistic missiles and drones. Explosions are heard throughout the city,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian capital was targeted overnight by barrages of Russian missiles and drones which caused fires. A fire broke out on Wednesday evening in the center of kyiv following a detonation during an air alert.
The Ukrainian president had indicated the day before from Dublin to return immediately to kyiv, saying he feared a “large-scale” attack from Russia. “We have known that (Vladimir) Putin has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time now,” Volodymyr Zelensky said, calling on Ukrainians to “be extra careful to protect themselves” during a press conference in Ireland on Wednesday.
The war left more than 2 million military casualties
The war in Ukraine has caused more than two million Russian and Ukrainian military casualties – wounded, killed and missing combined – according to a study published Wednesday by an American think tank.
Moscow has suffered the brunt of the losses, with 400,000 to 450,000 deaths out of an estimated 1.4 million troop casualties since the invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The Ukrainian army, for its part, suffered the loss of 125,000 soldiers. And 525,000 to 625,000 of its soldiers were injured.
The number of Russian deaths in Ukraine is more than four times the total number of American deaths in all conflicts since World War II, and more than nine times the total number of Russian deaths in all conflicts since World War II as well.
