Russian forces targeted Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, with missiles on Monday morning, shortly after an orphanage was struck in the northeastern Sumy region, in an attack that injured at least four people.
Kyiv's military administration said in a statement posted to Telegram that cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and a kamikaze drone were used in the attack. Air-defense systems downed more than two-dozen missiles, with debris falling in the Holosiivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Dniprovskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts.
The Context
The attack on Kyiv came a week after a large-scale Russian missile and drone barrage estimated to have cost Moscow $1.3 billion killed at least five people and ravaged the country's energy infrastructure.
What We Know
"Russia once again launched a missile attack on Kyiv on the morning of 2 September," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. "As of 06:25, two adults have sought medical help, and one of them was hospitalized."
"There will be an answer for everything. The enemy will feel it," Andriy Yermak, Ukraine's senior presidential adviser, said on his Telegram channel in response to the attack.
Hours earlier, the Sumy regional administration said the building of an orphanage was damaged in a Russian attack. The attack injured at least four people, the city council said. The victims are reported to include a 7-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday morning that a missile strike in the Sumy region had "destroyed three HIMARS MLRS launchers, three escort vehicles, a transport and loading vehicle, and more than 30 Ukrainian soldiers," the state-run Russian news agency Interfax reported.
Russian intelligence discovered "camouflaged HIMARS positions," Iocated "20 kilometers [12.4 miles] southeast of Sumy in the area of the settlements of Osoivka and Glybnoye," the defense ministry said.
"After confirming the characteristics of the target, the command made a decision to launch strikes with high-precision missile weapons against the positions of multiple launch rocket systems."
Views
"Russia just struck a children's social and psychological rehabilitation center and an orphanage in Sumy with a ballistic missile," said political analyst Giorgi Revishvili on X, formerly Twitter. "Russia continues to attack exclusively civilian targets, killing Ukrainians, including children, in their sleep."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a mosque in Kyiv was struck in Russia's attack on Monday morning and that it was "severely damaged."
"Russia has no regard for spiritual or human values, and no respect for any religion or faith. They continue their destruction campaign against the Ukrainian people, attempting to destroy all of our communities and even sacred places of worship," Zelensky wrote on X.
"Overnight, Russia fired a total of 35 missiles, including ballistic ones, and 23 drones at Ukraine."
What's Next?
Russia has yet to comment on the latest attacks. Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.
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