Russia intensifies its offensive in Ukraine and targets the capital, reports Efe. Russian forces launched the first combined missile and drone attack on Kiev in over two months during the early hours of Wednesday, as reported on social media by the Military Administration of the Kiev region.
"The armed forces of the Russian Federation launched a combined missile and drone attack on Kiev. The first in the last 73 days," reads the administration's account.
In the attack, Russia used cruise missiles, North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, Iskander-M missiles, and Shahed drones.
Air alert was activated in the capital after 6:00 local time (3:00 GMT) due to the arrival of drones, followed by cruise and ballistic missiles, and another wave of drones.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down an unspecified number of missiles and a dozen drones, according to the Military Administration of Kiev, which has not reported any material damage or casualties at the moment.
Nearly a hundred attacks in Kursk, Kurayove, and Pokrovsk
Russia continues to tighten its grip along the entire front and launched nearly a hundred attacks in the axes of Kurayove and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine and in the Russian region of Kursk, where around 50,000 Russian soldiers are trying to expel Kiev's troops that control part of the territory.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Kurayove was once again the hottest area along the entire contact line. Ukrainian forces repelled a total of 47 Russian assaults there. Meanwhile, Kiev's troops defending the Pokrovsk axis thwarted 28 attacks.
In the Kursk region, Russian troops unsuccessfully attempted to break through Ukraine's defenses up to 20 times.
According to the war analysis platform DeepState, Russian forces advanced in a dozen points along the eastern front in the last hours.
These Russian advances come at a high cost in military equipment and human casualties. During the past day, the number of Russian losses in terms of deaths and injuries exceeded 1,700 for the third consecutive day.
According to Ukrainian military analysts, Russia is accelerating its offensive on the front to conquer as much territory as possible before the arrival of US President-elect Donald Trump in January. Trump has promised to immediately push for negotiations to end the war.