KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian authorities said Monday they launched an overnight barrage of drone, cruise and ballistic missile attacks on Kiev to mark the end of the summer holidays, with damage from the attacks causing classes to be canceled in some places as children across the country prepared to return to school.
A series of explosions occurred in the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of the morning. Remnants of intercepted missiles and drones fell in various districts of Kiev, injuring three people and damaging two kindergartens, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said. City authorities reported multiple fires.
More than 900 days into the war, neither side has shown any signs of slowing down or moving closer to the negotiating table. Both sides are pursuing ambitious ground offensives, with Ukrainian forces pushing into Russia's Kursk region and Russian forces pushing deeper into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, part of the industrial Donbas region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the attack on Ukraine's Kursk city will not stop Russian troops from advancing into eastern Ukraine. He said Ukrainian forces have not achieved their goal of drawing Russian troops out of the fighting there.
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“The main task that the enemy has set for itself – to thwart our aggression in Donbas – has not been accomplished,” Putin told the students during a visit to southern Siberia.
Putin predicted that Ukraine's Kursk Offensive would fail, after which authorities in Kiev would want to “move towards peace negotiations.”
Russia fired 35 missiles of various types and 26 Shahed drones at Ukraine between Sunday and Monday night, the Ukrainian Air Force said, shooting down nine ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles and 20 drones.
Residents of the capital rushed to take refuge in bomb shelters across the city.
Oksana Argunova, an 18-year-old high school student in Kiev, said she was still shaking after the terrifying night.
“I woke up to hear my neighbour shouting: 'There's a big explosion, let's go down'. We all ran,” Argunova told The Associated Press.
In Ukraine, the first day of the school year is marked by ceremonies and rituals. Students of all ages, and often teachers and parents, dress up in traditional costumes. Celebrations include concerts and dancing.
A small group of children and parents gathered outside a damaged school in Kiev as firefighters worked to put out flames and clear away rubble.
The 39-year-old mother arrived at the school with her seven-year-old daughter, Sophia, unaware that it had been attacked – it was her daughter's first day at a new school after a terrifying night, her mother said.
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“Of course the child was scared. We hid in the bathroom where it was relatively safe,” said the mother, who gave only her first name, Olena.
“Today is one of the most important days of the year for millions of children, families and teachers in Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel.
“Ukraine is doing everything in its power to give its children as many opportunities as possible, and every school, every higher education institution that is now functioning is a testament to the resilience of its people and the strength of Ukraine,” he said.
The two sides regularly attack each other with long-range drone and missile attacks, sometimes firing more than 100 weapons from the air, suggesting they are still pouring resources into weapons production.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted 158 Ukrainian drones overnight between Saturday and Sunday, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, 18 people were wounded in an attack on Sunday night on a children's social and psychological rehabilitation centre and an orphanage in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, regional authorities said.
The district attorney's office said no children were on the premises at the time of the attack, but people in surrounding homes, including six children, were injured.
The education centre was partially destroyed and caught fire, and surrounding buildings were damaged by shock waves, according to the State Emergency Services Agency.
Explosions were also heard in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, Ukrainian media reported. Kharkiv region head Ole Shniekhbov confirmed the early morning attack in the city's Industrialny district, saying one residential building and several other buildings were set on fire.
The British Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that Russian forces have accelerated their advance on Donetsk's main stronghold, Povkhorsk, over the past week and are likely to come within 10 kilometres (six miles) of the city.
Elsewhere along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front, there were no significant changes, they said.
