Ukraine has thanked American-made Patriot missiles for defending Kyiv against Russia’s Saturday-morning attack.

Loud explosions were heard in the capital around 8 a.m. when Ukraine’s air defense intercepted Russia’s ballistic missiles, the most recent attack on Kyiv in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In his Telegram post, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk said that it was not yet clear whether the missiles aimed at Kyiv had been an Iskander-M or a guided S-400.

There were no victims or destruction reported from the attack on Kyiv, after which air alarms sounded.

Asked why the alarm had gone off after the explosion, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said on television that “ballistic missiles fly extremely fast and are not as visible as cruise missiles on the radars.” 

Advertisement

The explosions came after a period of 52 days of calm in Kyiv.

On Sept. 21, falling debris from a missile downed by Ukrainian air defenses wounded seven people, including one child.

Oleschuk also thanked “all those who repelled the attack of the ‘Shaheeds’ (Iranian-made Kamikaze drones) on the night of Nov. 11, 2023, which targeted a number of other areas in Ukraine, particularly along the front lines.

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter