Politics
Ukrainian capital comes under ‘massive’ attack
- Kyiv suffers citywide strikes with air defences engaged.
- Energy and rail systems targeted alongside homes.
- Fires and damage across eight city districts.
KYIV: Almost every district in Kyiv came under “massive” attack Friday morning, the Ukrainian capital’s mayor said, with a death reported hours after AFP journalists heard explosions in the city centre.
Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has intensified its attacks on infrastructure, particularly targeting Ukrainian energy facilities and rail systems, as well as residential areas, in recent months.
Missiles and drones were targeting critical infrastructure in the capital on Friday, said Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration.
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko called it a “massive enemy attack”, saying air defence forces were in operation.
One person was killed and at least 15 wounded in the attack, according to the Ukrainian emergency services, which added that “more than 40 people have been rescued” from fires and destruction across the city.
Earlier, Klitschko reported fires or damage to buildings in eight of Kyiv’s 10 districts, saying medical emergency teams were deployed to all of them.
He said a pregnant woman was among those hospitalised as well as a man in “extremely serious condition”.
“Sections of heating networks were damaged,” he wrote on Telegram, with some buildings in northeastern Desnyansky district temporarily left without heat.
Electricity and water supplies could also be disrupted, he added.
AFP journalists saw tracer bullets used against drones and several anti-missile systems deployed.
“Russians are hitting residential buildings. There are a lot of damaged high-rise buildings throughout Kyiv, almost in every district,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, wrote on social media.
Entrenched war
The attack comes as Kyiv’s Western allies ratchet up pressure on Russia.
On Wednesday, Canada unveiled new sanctions targeting Russia’s drone and energy production, as well as infrastructure used to launch cyberattacks.
G7 foreign ministers that day called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, voicing “unwavering” support for the country’s territorial integrity.
And the European Commission is considering using part of Russia’s assets frozen after its invasion to provide Kyiv with a loan for budgetary and military support over the next two years.
But after almost four years of war, both sides are heavily entrenched with Moscow rejecting ceasefire calls and efforts by US President Donald Trump to revive a long-stalled peace deal.
Russian forces have been grinding across eastern Ukraine for months, trying to take control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
Russia said Monday it had captured three more villages along the sprawling front line, where it is pressing its advantage in manpower and equipment.
Experts say Russia’s latest strikes on energy infrastructure are putting Ukraine at risk of heating outages ahead of the winter months.
WASHINGTON: The US military has not yet escorted any commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the White House said on Tuesday, just after US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright deleted a post on X in which he had said the US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the key waterway.
The US-Israel war against Iran has already effectively halted shipments through the Strait along Iran’s coast, where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, and Middle East oil producers have run out of storage and stopped pumping.
US President Donald Trump said on March 3 that the US would provide protection through the Strait for oil tankers. The Pentagon on Tuesday renewed threats to hit Iran harder unless shipments can flow through and said it was striking Iranian mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities.
Wright then posted on X that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz “to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
Soon after, he deleted the post for reasons that were unclear.
The United States has not yet escorted any oil tankers or vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked about the issue at a press conference later on Tuesday.
Commenting on Wright’s remarks, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied an oil ship had been escorted.
“Any movement of the US fleet and its allies will be stopped by our missiles and drones,” Ali Mohammad Naini said in comments carried by Iranian state media.
The top US general earlier on Tuesday said the US military has started looking at ways to potentially escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, should it be ordered to do so.
“We’re looking at a range of options there,” General Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon.
WASHINGTON: The US military has not yet escorted any commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the White House said on Tuesday, just after US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright deleted a post on X in which he had said the US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the key waterway.
The US-Israel war against Iran has already effectively halted shipments through the Strait along Iran’s coast, where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, and Middle East oil producers have run out of storage and stopped pumping.
US President Donald Trump said on March 3 that the US would provide protection through the Strait for oil tankers. The Pentagon on Tuesday renewed threats to hit Iran harder unless shipments can flow through and said it was striking Iranian mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities.
Wright then posted on X that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz “to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
Soon after, he deleted the post for reasons that were unclear.
The United States has not yet escorted any oil tankers or vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked about the issue at a press conference later on Tuesday.
Commenting on Wright’s remarks, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied an oil ship had been escorted.
“Any movement of the US fleet and its allies will be stopped by our missiles and drones,” Ali Mohammad Naini said in comments carried by Iranian state media.
The top US general earlier on Tuesday said the US military has started looking at ways to potentially escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, should it be ordered to do so.
“We’re looking at a range of options there,” General Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon.
President Masoud Pezeshkian says anyone who harbors the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing about the country’s history and past.
Pezeshkian made the remarks in a post on his X account on Tuesday, saying Iran is the heir to a civilization with a history of at least 6,000 years.
“In the course of history, no power has been able to erase this renowned name.”
The Iranian president underscored the fact that the Iranian nation is fundamentally characterized by its enduring strength.
He said those who imagine they can destroy Iran are unaware of the country’s deep historical roots and legacy.
“Invaders have come and gone,” the president wrote, “but Iran has remained.”
The United Stated and Israel started a fresh round of aerial aggression on Iran on February 28, some eight months after they carried out unprovoked attacks on the country.
Iran began to swiftly retaliate against the strikes by launching barrages of missile and drone attacks on the Israeli-occupied territories as well as on US bases in the region.
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White House contradicts claim of US Navy escort in Hormuz Strait
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