Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Sunday after Moscow’s drone strikes, Russia will only face defeat. And even hundreds of Shaheds will not save it from this”


EA on Pat Kenny Show: Russia Can’t Win Its Ukraine War

Sunday’s Coverage: Air Defenses Down 40+ Russian Drones Over Kyiv


Map: Institute for Study of War


UPDATE 1925 GMT:

A Russian attack on the city of Toretsk in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine killed two civilians and wounded eight on Monday morning.

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the Russians used high-explosive aerial bombs about 11:30 a.m., damaging a gas station and a multi-story building.


UPDATE 1545 GMT:

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced an increase in military aid to Ukraine by $2.6 billion through 2023 and 2024.

In mid-March, Denmark set up a $1 billion fund for military, civilian, and business assistance to Kyiv.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded:


UPDATE 1409 GMT:

A 61-year-old man was killed today by Russian shelling of the village of Kozatske in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.


UPDATE 1251 GMT:

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, says air defenses downed all 11 missiles in Russia’s second set of strikes today.


UPDATE 1145 GMT:

The Kyiv city administration says more than 41,000 people took shelter in the underground from Russian attacks today.

During the first set of Russian drone launches overnight, more than 9,000 citizens, including 1,120 children, were in the subway stations.

The total was the largest this month in the capital.

First Lady Olena Zelenska tweeted a video of children running for shelter.

From Olexander Scherba of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry:


UPDATE 0909 GMT:

There is also an air raid alert and sounds of explosions, probably from air defenses, in the Lviv region in western Ukraine.


UPDATE 0831 GMT:

Russia has launched a second set of aerial attacks on Kyiv.

Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said at least one person has been hospitalized. The roof of a two-story building was set alight by falling debris, but the fire was contained.


UPDATE 0735 GMT:

The Ukraine military has issued an update on this morning’s Russian aerial attacks.

Of 75 missiles and drones, 67 — 37 cruise missiles, 29 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones, and one reconnaissance drone — were downed.

Up to 40 cruise missiles were fired from 9 Tu-95MS strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea., and 35 drones were launched.


UPDATE 0626 GMT:

Stepping up his fight with Russia’s political and leadership, the head of the Wagner Group mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appears to have challenged Vladimir Putin.

On Sunday, Prigozhin chided senior Kremlin officials for banning references to him in State media: ““In the long term — long term is two or three months — they will receive a finger-slap from the people for trying to shut everyone’s mouths and ears.”

Then he addressed an unnamed official fitting Putin’s description, “If you are starting a war, please have character, will, and steel balls — and only then you will be able to achieve something.”

The mercenary leader continued that “real achievements” would keep the official from lying about the construction of new buildings, metro stations, and bridges.

Putin portrays himself as leader involved in the details of infrastructure projects because of his concern about the everyday lives of Russians.

Earlier this month, as his Wagner fighters tried to complete the takeover of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin said amidst his attacks on Moscow’s “monstrous bureaucracy”: “A happy grandfather thinks that he is fine….How to win a war if it suddenly turns out that this grandfather is a complete asshole?”


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia has launched its 15th missile and drone assault in May, and the second in two days, on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv — but has failed for the 15th time to strike any significant targets.

Air defenses downed more than 40 missiles and Iranian-made attack drones. Falling debris caused damaged, but there are no casualties so far.

The head of Kyiv’s military administration, Serhii Popko noted, “The enemy is trying to keep the civilian population in deep psychological tension.” Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said:

Another difficult night for the capital. But, thanks to the professionalism of our defenders, as a result of the air attack of the barbarians in Kyiv, there was no damage or destruction of infrastructural and other objects, [or] multi-apartment residential buildings.

Two people were killed in Kyiv by debris in Russia’s drone attacks early Sunday. The Ukraine Air Force said all of the Iranian-made Shaheds — more than 40 — were downed over the capital, and 52 of 54 intercepted across the country. The two drones which landed were in the Zhytomyr region in northern Ukraine.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video message:

Kyiv and all our cities, our entire Ukraine, will put an end to the history of Moscow’s despotism, which has been bringing enslavement to many different peoples for a very long time. Neither Shaheds nor any other means of terror that it humiliatingly seeks around the world will save it.

Because strength is in people, it is in cities, it is in life, and when life, people, and the most important cities for culture are despised, Russia will only face defeat. And even hundreds of Shaheds will not save it from this. They will only enlarge Russia’s disgrace.