{"id":2481,"date":"2022-12-19T12:20:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T12:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=2481"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:39:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:39:48","slug":"nighttime-drone-strike-hits-kyiv-as-putin-heads-to-belarus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/nighttime-drone-strike-hits-kyiv-as-putin-heads-to-belarus\/2022\/12\/19\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Nighttime drone strike hits Kyiv as Putin heads to Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"

KIEV,<\/span> UKRAINE<\/span> (AP) December,19<\/span> –<\/span> Several<\/span> explosive<\/span> drones<\/span> attacked<\/span> the<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> capital<\/span> before<\/span> dawn<\/span> as<\/span> Russian<\/span> President<\/span> Vladimir<\/span> Putin<\/span> prepared<\/span> to<\/span> visit<\/span> ally<\/span> Belarus,<\/span> locals<\/span> say.<\/span> Authorities<\/span> reported.<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> bot.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> drone<\/span> strike<\/span> comes<\/span> three<\/span> days<\/span> after<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> officials<\/span> described<\/span> it<\/span> as<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> biggest<\/span> attacks<\/span> on<\/span> Kyiv<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> began,<\/span> with<\/span> Moscow<\/span> plaguing<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> from<\/span> above<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> widespread<\/span> battlefield<\/span> confrontation.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russia<\/span> launched<\/span> 23<\/span> of<\/span> her<\/span> suicide<\/span> drones<\/span> while<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Kyiv<\/span> was<\/span> asleep,<\/span> but<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> forces<\/span> shot<\/span> down<\/span> 18<\/span> of<\/span> them,<\/span> Kyiv<\/span> city<\/span> officials<\/span> told<\/span> his<\/span> Telegram.<\/span> No<\/span> major<\/span> casualties<\/span> were<\/span> reported<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> attack,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> president’s<\/span> office<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> had<\/span> killed<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> three<\/span> civilians<\/span> and<\/span> wounded<\/span> 11<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> between<\/span> Sunday<\/span> and<\/span> Monday.<\/span> .<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> drone<\/span> fire<\/span> caused<\/span> emergency<\/span> power<\/span> outages<\/span> in<\/span> 11<\/span> areas<\/span> in<\/span> central<\/span> and<\/span> eastern<\/span> China,<\/span> including<\/span> the<\/span> metropolitan<\/span> area,<\/span> authorities<\/span> said.<\/span> Monday<\/span> is<\/span> Saint<\/span> Nicholas<\/span> Day,<\/span> the<\/span> day<\/span> the<\/span> Christmas<\/span> holidays<\/span> begin<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> and<\/span> children<\/span> usually<\/span> hide<\/span> their<\/span> first<\/span> presents<\/span> under<\/span> their<\/span> pillows.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Debris<\/span> from<\/span> a<\/span> crashed<\/span> drone<\/span> damaged<\/span> a<\/span> street<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> central<\/span> Solomiansky<\/span> district<\/span> and<\/span> smashed<\/span> windows<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> skyscraper<\/span> in<\/span> Kyiv’s<\/span> Shevchenkivsky<\/span> district,<\/span> city<\/span> officials<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> drone<\/span> hit<\/span> the<\/span> home<\/span> of<\/span> Olha,<\/span> 84,<\/span> and<\/span> her<\/span> 83-year-old,<\/span> Ivan<\/span> Kobzarenko,<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> outskirts<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> capital.<\/span> Ivan<\/span> injured<\/span> his<\/span> head.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Her<\/span> garage<\/span> was<\/span> completely<\/span> destroyed<\/span> and<\/span> her<\/span> dog<\/span> Marish<\/span> was<\/span> killed.<\/span> Speaking<\/span> in<\/span> her<\/span> bedroom,<\/span> where<\/span> broken<\/span> glass<\/span> and<\/span> blood<\/span> covered<\/span> the<\/span> floor,<\/span> Olha<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> blast<\/span> blew<\/span> the<\/span> couple’s<\/span> front<\/span> door<\/span> off.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> key<\/span> infrastructure<\/span> point<\/span> was<\/span> also<\/span> hit,<\/span> officials<\/span> said,<\/span> without<\/span> elaborating.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> capital<\/span> appeared<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> the<\/span> main<\/span> target<\/span> of<\/span> recent<\/span> Russian<\/span> attacks,<\/span> but<\/span> other<\/span> parts<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> were<\/span> also<\/span> hit,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> military.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> military<\/span> reports<\/span> increasing<\/span> success<\/span> in<\/span> shooting<\/span> down<\/span> incoming<\/span> Russian<\/span> missiles<\/span> and<\/span> explosive<\/span> drones.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Moscow<\/span> has<\/span> targeted<\/span> Ukraine’s<\/span> energy<\/span> infrastructure,<\/span> including<\/span> Kyiv,<\/span> since<\/span> October.<\/span> This<\/span> is<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> strategy<\/span> to<\/span> leave<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> without<\/span> heat<\/span> and<\/span> light<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> frigid<\/span> winter.<\/span> It<\/span> has<\/span> continued<\/span> these<\/span> efforts<\/span> despite<\/span> Western<\/span> sanctions<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> supply<\/span> of<\/span> Western<\/span> air<\/span> defense<\/span> systems<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> Armed<\/span> Forces.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> US<\/span> has<\/span> provided<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> with<\/span> her<\/span> HARM<\/span> missiles,<\/span> which<\/span> are<\/span> launched<\/span> from<\/span> fighter<\/span> jets<\/span> and<\/span> designed<\/span> to<\/span> hit<\/span> enemy<\/span> radars.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>About<\/span> 14,000<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Belgorod<\/span> lost<\/span> power<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> result<\/span> of<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> military<\/span> shelling,<\/span> the<\/span> region’s<\/span> governor<\/span> Vyacheslav<\/span> Gladkov<\/span> told<\/span> his<\/span> Telegram.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Putin<\/span> said<\/span> Monday<\/span> that<\/span> he<\/span> would<\/span> allow<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> to<\/span> use<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> territory<\/span> to<\/span> invade<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> and<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> authoritarian<\/span> leader<\/span> Alexander<\/span> Lukashenko,<\/span> who<\/span> maintains<\/span> close<\/span> defence<\/span> ties<\/span> with<\/span> Moscow.<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> planning<\/span> to<\/span> visit<\/span> Belarus<\/span> on<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> visit<\/span> to<\/span> Minsk<\/span> was<\/span> unusual<\/span> for<\/span> Putin,<\/span> who<\/span> usually<\/span> receives<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin.<\/span> Belarus<\/span> is<\/span> said<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> stockpiling<\/span> Soviet-era<\/span> weapons,<\/span> which<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> useful<\/span> to<\/span> Moscow,<\/span> and<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> needs<\/span> help<\/span> with<\/span> his<\/span> country’s<\/span> ailing<\/span> economy.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Analysts<\/span> say<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> may<\/span> again<\/span> seek<\/span> some<\/span> form<\/span> of<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> military<\/span> support<\/span> for<\/span> its<\/span> operations<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span> But<\/span> winter<\/span> weather<\/span> and<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> depleted<\/span> resources<\/span> mean<\/span> an<\/span> attack<\/span> is<\/span> unlikely<\/span> to<\/span> come<\/span> soon,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> War<\/span> Research<\/span> Institute,<\/span> a<\/span> Washington<\/span> think<\/span> tank.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>It<\/span> also<\/span> concluded,<\/span> “It<\/span> is<\/span> unlikely<\/span> that<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> will<\/span> use<\/span> the<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> army<\/span> (which<\/span> also<\/span> needs<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> re-equipped)<\/span> to<\/span> invade<\/span> Ukraine.”<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KIEV, UKRAINE (AP) December,19 – Several explosive drones attacked the Ukrainian capital before dawn as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to visit ally Belarus, locals say. Authorities reported. Ukrainian bot. The drone strike comes three days after Ukrainian officials described it as one of Russia’s biggest attacks on Kyiv since the war began, with Moscow […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,24,276,2425,2480,2482],"tags":[76,77,132,154,170,174],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/19A.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2483,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481\/revisions\/2483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}