Russian missiles bombard cities across Ukraine
By Kostan Nechyporenko, Olga Voitovych, Victoria Butenko and Lianne Kolirin, CNNUpdated: Mon, 31 Oct 2022 10:53:31 GMTSource: CNNRussia launched a barrage of missile strikes at Ukrainian cities on Mon
By Kostan Nechyporenko, Olga Voitovych, Victoria Butenko and Lianne Kolirin, CNNUpdated: Mon, 31 Oct 2022 10:53:31 GMT
Source: CNN
Russia launched a barrage of missile strikes at Ukrainian cities on Monday as it ramped up its attacks on infrastructure facilities across the country.
Explosions and air raid sirens were heard in Kyiv early on Monday and 80% of residents were left without water -- with many losing electricity, too -- following power outages caused by Russian strikes, the capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on Telegram.
One of the strikes hit an energy facility that powered 350,000 apartments in the capital, Klitschko said, adding that emergency services were attempting to restore power and "stabilize the situation as soon as possible."
Attacks on critical infrastructure in the central regions of Cherkasy and Kirovohrad, the eastern region of Kharkiv, and the southern region of Zaphorizhzhia were also reported.
The wave of strikes comes after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the city of Sevastopol in Crimea over the weekend. Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014 and has controlled the territory since then.
Klitschko urged residents of the capital to stock up on water from shops and pumping stations after an attack on a nearby power facility.
"Currently, due to damage to the energy facility near Kyiv, 80% of the capital's consumers remain without water supply," he said on Telegram. "Just in case, we ask you to stock up on water from the nearest pumps and points of sale. Specialists are doing everything possible to return water to the apartments of Kyiv residents."
He later said the supply would be returned to the east bank of the capital, and part of the west bank, within hours. He added that power to the Desnianskyi district had been "partially restored."
The water supply in Kharkiv -- Ukraine's second-largest city -- was also affected after an infrastructure facility was hit, while most subway train services were halted, mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
"The blow fell on a critical infrastructure facility, resulting in the subway and ground electric transport being de-energized," he said. "At the moment, we have managed to launch the Kholodnohirsko-Zavodska (subway) line, and we have replaced trolleybuses and trams with buses."
Terekhov said engineers were "doing everything possible to resume water supply to the homes of Kharkiv residents as soon as possible."
Two missiles hit Kharkiv on Monday morning, the mayor had previously said on Telegram.
And in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, one missile hit an industrial enterprise, mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram.
"During the morning missile attack, two missiles were shot down (thanks to the Air Defense Forces), and one cruise missile hit an industrial enterprise," he said. There were no casualties reported.
Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched more than 50 cruise missiles into Ukraine on Monday, and said it had intercepted 44 of them.
"At 7:00 a.m. on October 31, the Russian occupiers launched several waves of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine," the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
"More than 50 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles were launched from the Tu-95/Tu-160 strategic aviation missile-carrying aircraft north of the Caspian Sea and the Volgodonsk region (Rostov region). 44 cruise missiles were destroyed" by the Ukrainian military, the air force statement added.
