Russia paralyzed five aircraft in an attack on a military target in western Ukraine, causing a fire at the Odesa Black Sea port in an air strike on Monday morning, Ukrainian officials said.
Kyiv suffered intense attacks for the second night in a row, although large drones and missiles fired into the capital have been shot down. The explosion rocked Kyiv again when the capital was again attacked on Monday morning.
"Emergency services have responded to calls near the center of the capital. Attacks on Kyiv continue. Don't leave the shelter!" Mayor Vitaly Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app as residents run to shelters at the metro station, as reported by Reuters on May 29.
The attack was part of a new wave of increasingly frequent and intense airstrikes launched by Moscow this month, as Kyiv prepares to launch a counter-attack to try to retake territory occupied by Russian troops.
Ukraine said it had shot down 29 of the 35 drones and 37 of the 40 cruise missiles fired overnight by Russia.
Kyiv's military administration said its air defenses had shot down more than 40 "targets" fired in Russia's 15th airstrikes in the city this month.
"It's a tough night for the capital city again," said Mayor Klitschko on Telegram.
The attack followed a series of the largest drones launched in Kyiv the night before, which killed one person and injured several others. In Sunday's attack, 36 drones fell on Kyiv.
"With this continuous attack, the enemy is trying to put civilians into deep psychological tension," said Serhiy Popko, head of city military administration.
In a rare acknowledgment of the military's "targeted" damage, Ukraine did not name the site or site affected in the western region of Khmelnitskiy, but said work was underway to restore the runway, while five aircraft could not be used.
It is known that a large military airfield was located in the region before the war.
"Currently, work continues to be carried out to extinguish fires in fuel storage facilities and lubricants and ammunition," the Khmelnitskiy regional governor's office said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said the attack on the port of Odesa had caused fires and damaged infrastructure, but did not specify whether the damage threatened the export of grains.
Ukraine is an important global grain supplier and its port is critical for shipping agricultural products abroad. The port is also one of three included in the UN-brokered agreement on safe grain exports through the Black Sea.
"The fire broke out in the infrastructure of the Odesa port due to the attack. The fire was quickly extinguished. Information about the extent of the damage is being updated," the southern military command wrote on Facebook.
It is known, after months of attacks on energy facilities, Russia is now increasingly targeting military facilities and supplies to try to disrupt Ukraine's preparations for its counterattack, Kyiv said.
Moscow said Ukraine had stepped up drone attacks and sabotaged targets inside Russia as Kyiv prepared for retaliatory attacks.
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