Russia hits Kyiv with combined drone and missile attack

Russian forces hit kyiv with a sophisticated missile and drone attack for the first time in 73 days, officials said.

Air raid alerts sounded for hours as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, Ukraine’s air force said.

Air defense downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said. The damage is currently being assessed.

This is the first such attack on the capital in months (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In the past, such combined attacks were aimed at overwhelming air defenses and causing maximum damage.

The air assault came as it appeared that most of the more than 10,000 North Korean troops sent by Pyongyang to help Moscow in the war were engaged in fighting in Russia’s Kursk border region, according to the Pentagon.

A Ukrainian army incursion into Kursk three months ago managed to control a large area of territory and embarrassed the Kremlin.

The Russian military trained North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, Pentagon deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said.

Their cooperation faces challenges, according to the Pentagon, including how to achieve military interoperability and overcome the language barrier.

kyiv officials say Russia has deployed about 50,000 troops to Kursk to try to dislodge the Ukrainians.

In recent months, Russia has been gathering forces for a counteroffensive at Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, although the timetable for the operation is not known.

The Kremlin’s plans in Kursk and Ukraine’s efforts to contain a Russian attack in the eastern Donetsk region coincide with political uncertainty over how Donald Trump’s U.S. administration will change Washington’s war policy.

US military aid is vital to Ukraine, but Mr Trump has indicated he does not want to continue giving tens of billions of dollars to kyiv.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said President Joe Biden intends to step up US military support for Ukraine in the final months of his administration.