Russia launched a range of missiles and drones on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, hours before Ukrainian children were set to return to school after a long summer vacation.
Back-to-School Day is a decorated event in Ukraine. Children and teachers wear traditional costumes, and parents greet their children with flowers.
However, this year’s event was marred with massive bombings on the capital as Ukrainians woke up in terror in the early hours of Monday, September 2, after hearing loud noises from the missile defense system and explosions.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces used different types of ballistic and cruise missiles in the latest attack, and Ukraine intercepted 22 of 35 missiles and 20 of 23 drones.
One mother, Yevheniia, explained that her 6-year-old daughter started shaking before her first-ever day at school as the smoke invaded their apartment, and she tried to comfort the girl.
Another mother, Kateryna, who went to a flower market with many other parents as early as five in the morning, described having to drop everything and protect themselves when they heard the missiles’ loud bangs.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that the Russian bombing partially destroyed the boiler house of the city’s water plant and the entrance of the metro station. The Svyatoshynksyi district, where most bombs struck, has many colleges and schools and was ready to welcome the children into the new season.
Meanwhile, three people were injured in the tragedy, and a slate of cars in different parts of the city caught fire.
This attack came just a week after Russia’s biggest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the war. Ukraine described that attack as the “most massive” assault since the offset of the war and reported that seven people died in the attacks in which Russia fired at least 200 missiles.
Russia has, however, claimed that it does not target civilians in its attacks.
Russia is relying more on aerial assault these days as the country desperately tries to push Ukraine to the back foot in the wake of the Kursk invasion, which surprised top Russian leadership.
Russian officials have also announced that President Vladimir Putin is planning to change Russian nuclear doctrine, which previously suggested that the only purpose of Russian nuclear weapons was “deterrence.”
Sergei Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, stated that the West is continuously climbing the ladder of escalation, which is forcing Russia to change its nuclear doctrine. He was talking about Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to hit strategic and important locations in mainland Russia.
Putin has repeatedly threatened Ukraine with nuclear weapons, but most experts believe that this approach is mainly employed to stop the United States from helping Ukraine.
The UN Security Council has previously indicated that the Russia-Ukraine war has increased the odds of pushing the world into a nuclear war.
