(FreePressBeacon.com) – Tensions are reaching a tipping point, as Monday morning brought the sound of explosions to central Kyiv during the busy rush hour.
This happens at a time when Ukraine is bracing for a massive Russian missile and drone onslaught after a series of additional early morning drone attacks.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia had deployed 11 TU-95 strategic bombers and had launched several missiles.
Meanwhile, Reuters journalists reported sounds of air defenses at work in the outskirts of Kyiv.
In the northwestern city of Lutsk, local officials noted explosions and reported damage to an apartment building while they checked for any injuries.
Poland’s military mentioned on X that their forces and allied aircraft were mobilized in response to the Russian offensive, which also aimed at areas in western Ukraine and near the Polish frontier.
For a while now, Ukrainians had been expecting a major missile strike by Russia.
The U.S. embassy had previously alerted about a heightened threat of attacks around the time of Ukrainian Independence Day, which was celebrated last Saturday.
In retaliation, Ukraine has increased its drone strikes on Russian targets, marking a counter-effort against Russia’s full-scale invasion that started in February 2022.
“The desire to destroy our energy will cost the Russians dearly: their infrastructure,” declared President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak on Telegram.
On the same day, Ukraine’s military identified two separate drone attack waves from Russia, which initially seemed to have caused no damage or casualties.
Serhiy Popko, who leads Kyiv’s military administration, shared on Telegram that up to 10 drones heading towards the city were intercepted and destroyed at around 2:30 AM GMT.
Both Russia and Ukraine assert that they do not target civilians but that their strikes are focused solely on military and vital infrastructure.
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