Russia Launches Massive Air Attack On Ukraine When Putin Attends China's Military Parade

JAKARTA - Russia launched a massive airstrike overnight against Ukraine that injured four train workers and damaged critical infrastructure.

The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a military parade in Beijing, to mark the end of World War II.

During the parade, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the world against options between peace and war.

As reported by Reuters on Wednesday, September 3, the airstrike warning sounded for hours across Ukraine, with explosions heard in nine of its 24 regions, from Kyiv to Lviv and Volyn in the west, officials and Ukrainian media said.

The Ukrainian air force shot down 430 from 502 unmanned aircraft and 21 from 24 missiles launched by Russia overnight, adding that three missiles and 69 drones attacked 14 locations.

Ukraine's western neighbor and NATO member, Poland, activated its own aircraft and allies to ensure safety, its armed forces command said.

Four train workers in the Kirovohrad region in Ukraine are being treated in hospital after the Russian attack.

Railway workers were among the five injured people at the center of the main train of Zanminianka, where 28 houses were also damaged.

In northern Chernihiv, the attack cut off electricity to 30,000 customers and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, Viache Governorslav Chaus said.

Public transport in the city of Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine faced "significant schedule disruptions" following the attack.

The regional governor reported fires and damage to residential buildings, among other incidents.

Firefighters in the Ivano-Frankivsk region are battling a fire that devoured a 9,000 square meter storage facility.

There has been no immediate statement from Russia. Both sides have denied targeting civilians in their attacks on the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.