Russian forces surprised the Ukrainian army with a series of missile attacks on sites near the capital Kyiv, as well as the use of long-range artillery against the city of Kharkiv near the Russian border, just hours before dawn on Thursday. The extensive Russian assault targeted a carefully selected target bank by Russian intelligence, where military infrastructure across Ukraine was bombed, alongside several airports and other key facilities in an attempt to cripple Ukraine’s military capabilities and its ability to respond.
After the bombardment and destruction of the objective bank with precise and lethal Ukrainian weapons, Russian ground forces entered from three sides. In the hours leading up to dawn, residents in Odesa, Dnipro, Mariupol, and Kramatorsk reported massive explosions. Several blasts in the eastern part of the capital resulted in thick columns of gray smoke rising into the night sky. One of the main targets was the main international airport in Boryspil.
### Targeted Airports
Other targeted airports included Kharkiv, Ozern, Kolbakino, Chuhuiv, Kramatorsk, and Chornobayivka. A video showed a cruise missile striking a military facility at Ivano-Frankivsk Airport. Videos that spread later revealed significant damage in and around several cities. In Kharkiv, a video emerged of an apartment building damaged by a missile or long-range artillery. Another video showed a missile embedded in a road. The state emergency service reported that six people were trapped under the rubble in the city of Nizhin.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that ballistic missiles were used in the attack while the sound of aircraft was heard over the city of Zaporizhia in central Ukraine. The Russians used a wide array of weaponry in their assault, including attack aircraft, helicopters, tanks, long-range artillery, and missiles.
### Out of Service
Russian news agencies, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported that "the military infrastructure of the Ukrainian armed forces' air bases is out of service, and the air defense systems of the Ukrainian armed forces have been destroyed." The Ukrainian army stated that the air force is attempting to repel a Russian air attack, adding that reports of Russian troops landing in Odesa are false. Ukrainian authorities have suspended websites "for fear of being subjected to infiltration attacks."
The Ukrainian army had announced in a statement the interception of five Russian aircraft and a helicopter in Luhansk. The Ukrainian Border Guard Service confirmed attacks on border units, patrols, and checkpoints carried out with artillery, heavy equipment, and small arms.
