Russia announced Sunday it will step up strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions in response to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that his country will intensify attacks on Russian refineries. As tensions escalated, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived for a visit to Kyiv while air raid sirens and explosions echoed through the city.
2+Russia’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces will increase strikes against military facilities, defense industry sites, and related infrastructure in Kyiv and other areas of the country. Moscow claimed the recent attacks are a response to Ukrainian strikes on civilian targets inside Russia. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.
The Russian announcement follows Zelensky’s interview with Reuters in which he said Ukraine plans to expand strikes on Russian refineries. He called it a response to what he described as Moscow’s “new doctrine” of broadening attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure ahead of winter. The Ukrainian president claimed Kyiv holds documents showing Russian intentions to strike roads, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure.
2+Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv today and met with Zelensky. During the morning hours, four air raid alerts were activated in the capital, and explosions and air defense activity were heard in various parts of the city. One Russian strike hit the northern bridge over the Dnipro River, damaging the roadway and wounding two people, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Merz and Zelensky also visited the building of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, which was severely damaged in a Russian drone strike last week. During the visit, the German chancellor called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war and said Germany is ready to support efforts to end it, but demanded a halt to the attacks.
2+As part of the visit, Germany is expected to release another aid package to Ukraine, including one billion euros in military assistance and 350 million euros for restoring energy infrastructure damaged in the war. In addition, the countries are expected to finalize an agreement for joint production of several types of drones.
The escalation comes after Russia intensified strikes on infrastructure in Kyiv over the past week, including hitting bridges over the Dnipro River. The attacks have caused significant disruptions to traffic and daily life for the capital’s roughly three million residents, as Ukraine prepares for the winter months.