Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukraine claims to have shot down 34 cruise missiles as death toll rises following mass Russian air strikes | Ukraine

Ukraine’s air force claims to have shot down 34 cruise missiles overnight

The Ukrainian Air Force has released a statement via Telegram about the wave of attacks from Russia overnight. In it, it claims that “Ukrainian defense forces destroyed 34 cruise missiles … as well as 4 Shahed-136/131 unmanned aerial vehicles.” It claims that a total of 48 Kalibr cruise missiles were launched by Russia.

He described the attack as having “81 missiles of various types” in total and that “the launches were carried out by ten Tu-95 strategic aircraft, seven long-range Tu-22M3 aircraft, eight Su-35 fighters, six MiG-31K aircraft and three Kalibr KR carriers in the Black Sea.

He adds “As a result of organized countermeasures, 8 Kh-31P and Kh-59 guided air missiles did not reach their targets. It is worth noting that the armed forces of Ukraine do not have means capable of destroying Kh-22 and Kh-47 ‘Kinzhal’ and S-300.

The claims have not been independently verified.

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The death toll in the Lviv strike rises to five – the regional governor

Maksym Kozytskyi, the governor of Lviv, announced that a fifth person had been killed in the overnight attacks. He posted on Telegram to say:

The number of people killed as a result of the fall of the rocket in the Zolochiv neighborhood has increased to five. The body of another man, born in 1963, was found under the rubble. Sincere condolences to the relatives.

Updated at 07:35 GMT

Ukraine’s air force claims to have shot down 34 cruise missiles overnight

The Ukrainian Air Force has released a statement via Telegram about the wave of attacks from Russia overnight. In it, it claims that “Ukrainian defense forces destroyed 34 cruise missiles … as well as 4 Shahed-136/131 unmanned aerial vehicles.” It claims that a total of 48 Kalibr cruise missiles were launched by Russia.

He described the attack as having “81 missiles of various types” in total and that “the launches were carried out by ten Tu-95 strategic aircraft, seven long-range Tu-22M3 aircraft, eight Su-35 fighters, six MiG-31K aircraft and three Kalibr KR carriers in the Black Sea.

He adds “As a result of organized countermeasures, 8 Kh-31P and Kh-59 guided air missiles did not reach their targets. It is worth noting that the armed forces of Ukraine do not have means capable of destroying Kh-22 and Kh-47 ‘Kinzhal’ and S-300.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports that power company DTEK has restored power to Dnipropetrovsk.

Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv, gave this update via Telegram on the overnight situation in his region. He wrote:

The enemy launched a massive rocket attack on Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. At least 15 arrivals of S-300 missiles were recorded. Critical infrastructure objects are hit. In addition, a civil infrastructure object was damaged in the city of Kharkiv.

Synyehubov said that two women in their 70s were injured in Pisochyn, one of them hospitalized, and that an agricultural facility was damaged in Slobozhanske.

He added that the day before, several settlements were shelled, with the result that “houses and commercial facilities were damaged, fires broke out”.

Here are some of the latest images we have received on the news wires of the aftermath of the strikes in Kiev overnight.

People react at the site of a Russian missile attack in Kiev. Photo: Gleb Garanich/ReutersA man inspects a damaged car at the site of a rocket attack in Kiev. Photo: Gleb Garanich/Reuters A view of damaged windows in a building in Kiev. Photo: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Updated at 07:16 GMT

That’s goodbye from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. I will soon hand it over to my colleague Martin Belam.

Here’s what happened overnight as Russia launched massive attacks on a sleeping Ukraine:

Russian strikes hit targets across Ukraine early Thursday, including the capital Kiev, the Black Sea port of Odesa and second-largest city Kharkiv, knocking out power in some areas, regional officials said. The attacks hit a wide range of targets, including cities stretching from Zhytomyr, Vynnytsia and Rivne in the west to Dnipro and Poltava in central Ukraine.

Four people have died in Russian rocket attacks in the western region of Lviv, the head of the regional military administration said on Telegram. “At the moment, four people are known to have died. These are four adults. Two men and two women. They were at home when the rocket hit. The debris is still being cleared. There may be other people under them,” said Maksym Kozytskyi.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions were reported in the southwestern part of the city and rescue services were on their way. Two people were injured. “After the rocket attack, due to emergency power outages, currently 40% of the capital’s consumers are without heating. The water supply works normally,” he said on Telegram.

The strikes cut off the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the power grid, the Energoatom company said. “Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the energy system of Ukraine was cut off. The fuel for operation remains for 10 days”, says a statement from the company. In August last year, fires caused by shelling cut the last remaining power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily disconnecting it from the grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation. It then took two weeks for power to be restored to the plant.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he won’t meet with Vladimir Putin until Russia leaves Ukraine. The president of Ukraine appeared on CNN Wednesday night in a pre-recorded interview. When asked by Wolf Blitzer what it would take to get him to meet Putin, Zelenskiy said: “We have no circumstances to talk to the president of the Russian Federation because he does not keep his word” and “Russia should leave the our territory. . And after that, we are happy to join the diplomatic means. To do this, we can find any format with our partners immediately after that.”

Updated at 07.07 GMT

Four dead from bombings in Lviv

Four people have died in Russian rocket attacks in the western region of Lviv, the head of the regional military administration said on Telegram.

“Residents of the Lviv region, an air alert lasted for four hours this night… In Zolochiv district, an enemy rocket fell in a residential area. A fire started. It is already extinguished,” said Maksym Kozytskyi.

“At the moment, four people are known to have died. These are four adults. Two men and two women. They were at home when the rocket hit. The debris is still being cleared. There may be other people under them.”

Three residential buildings were destroyed. Kozytskyi posted a video of the injury:

Updated at 06:50 GMT

More now in Zaporizhzhia. The statement of the state energy company Energoatom states:

On the night of March 9, the enemy carried out another massive barbaric attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“As a result of shelling, the last line feeding the ZNPP was damaged. Now the station works on diesel generators. The Russians are putting the world on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. And this is a day after the negotiations with the UN on the demilitarization of the ZNPP”, said the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, Herman Galushchenko.

Also, as of 6:30 a.m. on March 9, shelling of energy facilities was recorded in Kiev, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions.

Updated at 07.09 GMT

Here’s our roundup of nighttime attacks:

Barrages of Russian missiles hit targets across Ukraine early Thursday, including Kiev, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second city of Kharkiv, knocking out power in some areas, regional officials said.

The governor of the Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, said on Telegram that a massive rocket attack had hit an energy facility in the port city, cutting off power. Residential areas were also hit, but no casualties were immediately reported.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov said the city and region had been hit by 15 attacks, with targets including infrastructure. Other attacks were reported in the central city of Dnipro and regions across the country.

40% of Kiev without heating after the strike in the energy facility

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko has just confirmed that one of the explosions was an attack on an electrical facility and that 40% of Kyiv residents are now without heat. It is currently 4C.

“After the rocket attack, due to emergency power outages, currently 40% of the capital’s consumers are without heating. The water supply works normally,” he said on Telegram.

Updated at 07.09 GMT

Briefing

It is currently 8 am in Kiev. Here’s a recap of what happened on the night:

Russian strikes hit a number of regions of Ukraine early Thursday, including the capital Kiev, the Black Sea port of Odesa and second-largest city Kharkiv, knocking out power in some areas, regional officials said. The attacks hit a wide range of targets, including cities stretching from Zhytomyr, Vynnytsia and Rivne in the west to Dnipro and Poltava in central Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions were reported in the southwestern part of the city and rescue services were on their way. Two people were injured. Electricity supply has been cut off in advance for about 15% of Kyiv residents, he said.

The attacks cut off Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the power grid, the Energoatom company announced Thursday morning. “Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the energy system of Ukraine was cut off. The fuel for operation remains for 10 days”, says a statement from the company. In August last year, fires caused by shelling cut the last remaining power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily disconnecting it from Ukraine’s National Grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation. It then took two weeks for power to be restored to the plant.

Zelenskiy said he will not meet with Putin until Russia leaves Ukraine. The president of Ukraine appeared on CNN Wednesday night in a pre-recorded interview. When asked by Wolf Blitzer what it would take to get him to meet with Putin, Zelenskiy said: “We have no circumstances to talk to the president of the Russian Federation because he does not keep his word” and “Russia must leave from our country”. the territory. And after that, we are happy to join diplomatic means. To do this, we can find any format with our partners immediately after that.”

Updated at 07.09 GMT

Here’s a photo from Svyatoshyn in Kiev, where rocket attacks ignited cars:

Emergency workers at the site of a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, March 9, 2023. Photo: Gleb Garanich/Reuters The shutdown at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was interrupted by shelling

The Ukrainian power plant in Zaporizhzhia has been disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid, the energy company Energoatom announced this morning.

“Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the energy system of Ukraine was cut off. The fuel for operation remains for 10 days”, says a statement from the company.

In August last year, fires caused by shelling cut the last remaining power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily disconnecting it from the grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation. It then took two weeks for power to be restored to the plant.

⚡️ The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been completely shut down due to Russian shelling, — Enerhoatom.

Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian energy system has been cut. Fuel for operation lasts for 10 days. pic.twitter.com/bOcMGJ0rzg

— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) March 9, 2023

Updated at 07:10 GMT