Live: Drone strikes hit ‘critical’ infrastructure facilities in Kyiv region

Issued on: 13/10/2022 – 06:40Modified: 13/10/2022 – 06:41

5:22am: Satellite images show Kyiv damage after strikes

Satellite photos released Wednesday show damage to a power station and an office building in Kyiv, following Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

4:55am: Shelling hits Kyiv region on Thursday, says local administration

A settlement in the region of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv was hit by shelling early on Thursday, the region’s administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

“Rescuers are already working at the site,” the administration said, without providing further details on where the shelling took place.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the report.

3:55am: Russian missiles target Ukraine’s Mykolaiv

Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles on the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Thursday, officials said, after the United Nations General Assembly condemned Moscow’s attempted annexation of four Ukrainian areas and Kyiv’s allies committed more military aid.

“A five-storey residential building was hit, the two upper floors were completely destroyed, the rest – under rubble. Rescuers are working on the site,” Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said in a social media post, adding the southern city was “massively shelled”.

A shipbuilding centre and a port on the Southern Bug river off the Black Sea, Mykolaiv has suffered heavy Russian bombardments throughout the war.

1:30am: Britain to donate air defence missiles to Ukraine

Britain said it would donate air defence missiles capable of shooting down cruise missiles to Ukraine in the wake of Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities in recent days.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced the new support ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

Ukraine’s allies had pledged new air defences and more aid on the sidelines of the meeting on Wednesday.

Britain said the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM, which will be provided in the coming weeks, could be used with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS air defence systems pledged by the United States.

Hundreds of additional air defence missiles of other types would also be donated, along with more aerial drones and a further 18 howitzer artillery guns, it said.

10:25pm: UN General Assembly strongly condemns Russian annexations

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four occupied regions in Ukraine and called on all countries not to recognise the move, reinforcing a diplomatic international isolation of Moscow since it invaded its neighbour.

Three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly – 143 countries – voted in favor of a resolution that also reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

02:10

Only 4 countries joined Russia in voting against the resolution – Syria, Nicaragua, North Korea and Belarus. Another 35 countries abstained from the vote, including Russia’s strategic partner China, while the rest did not vote.

9:25pm: UN to vote on resolution condemning Russian annexations

The UN General Assembly is due to vote publicly on a draft resolution that condemns Russia’s “illegal so-called referenda” and the “attempted illegal annexation” of Ukrainian territories.

FRANCE 24’s correspondent Jessica Le Masurier has the details.

01:57

8:35pm: France to supply air defence systems to Ukraine

France will supply radars and air defence systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron has said in a television interview, following Russia’s missile assault which he said was aimed at “breaking Ukrainian resistance”.

“We’re going to deliver (…) radars, systems and missiles to protect them from these attacks,” Macron told France 2 television, adding that France was also negotiating to send another six Caesar mobile artillery units. 

The French leader said Russia’s Vladimir Putin must “return to the table” to discuss making peace in Ukraine.

“Today, first of all, Vladimir Putin must stop this war, respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and come back to the table for talks,” he said.

When reminded that Ukraine no longer wanted to negotiate with Putin, Macron replied: “I tell you that at some point… it will be necessary. That’s why I have always refused maximalist positions.”

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)