Russia Hits Kyiv With More Missiles

Russia fired missiles towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, for the first time in more than a month early Sunday, as Ukrainian officials said a counter-attack on the key eastern battleground had retaken half of the city of Sievierodonetsk, Natalia Zinets, Pavel Polityuk, and Lidia Kelly reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Civilians in Ukraine survey their war-torn surroundings as rescue teams navigate through the rubble

After the attack on two outlying neighborhoods of Kyiv, dark smoke could be seen for miles. Ukraine said the strike targeted a train car repair facility, while Moscow claimed it had destroyed tanks delivered to Ukraine by Eastern European countries.

Although there were no early reports of casualties, at least one individual was hospitalized. The strike served as a stark reminder of war in a city where normalcy has mostly returned after Russian soldiers were forced out in March.

"The Kremlin resorts to new insidious attacks. Today’s missile strikes at Kyiv have only one goal - kill as many as possible," tweeted Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak.

Ukraine said Russia had carried out the strike using long-range air-launched missiles fired from heavy bombers as far away as the Caspian Sea - a weapon far more valuable than the tanks Russia claimed to have hit. Ukraine's nuclear power operator said a Russian cruise missile had flown "critically low" over the country's second largest nuclear power plant.

Sunday's attack was the first big strike on Kyiv since late April, when a missile killed a journalist.

Russia has concentrated its destructive might in recent weeks on front lines in the east and south, but it has struck elsewhere on occasion in what it calls a mission to weaken Ukraine's military infrastructure and disrupt Western arms shipments.

Russia has concentrated its forces in the small eastern industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, waging one of the war's most significant ground engagements in an attempt to reclaim one of two eastern provinces it claims on behalf of separatist proxies.

Ukraine launched a counter-offensive in the city after retreating slowly in previous days, which it claims caught the Russians off guard. According to Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region, which contains Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian forces currently control half of the city and are continuing to push the Russians back.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic