Countrywide air alert in Ukraine as presidency warns of missile attack on Kyiv

Countrywide air alert in Ukraine as presidency warns of missile attack on Kyiv
by AFP Staff Writers
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Nov 13, 2024

Ukrainian authorities issued air raid alerts covering the entire country on Wednesday, as the president's chief of staff warned of a missile attack on the capital.

"Putin is launching a missile attack on Kyiv right now," Andriy Yermak said on Telegram, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine's air force warned earlier Wednesday that a missile had entered the country's airspace and was headed for the capital city.

"Attention! Missile in Chernihiv region heading for Kyiv region," it said on Telegram.

The attack comes after a week of relentless strikes, including one on the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that killed a 32-year-old mother and her three children.

Over the weekend, Moscow and Kyiv launched record overnight drone attacks on each other.

Zelensky has warned that Russia has prepared a force of some 50,000 troops, including North Korean fighters, to expel Ukrainian forces from the Russian region of Kursk.

NATO 'must do more than just keep Ukraine in fight', says Rutte
Paris (AFP) Nov 12, 2024 - NATO chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday called on Western countries to ramp up support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion, saying Kyiv required more than just being kept "in the fight".

"We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight," Rutte told reporters ahead of talks in Paris with French leader Emmanuel Macron.

"We need to raise the cost for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his enabling and authoritarian friends by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict.

"We will discuss the importance of keeping up support as Ukrainians prepare to face what could be their harshest winter since 2022... We must recommit to staying the course, for the long haul."

Rutte did not explicitly refer to the election Donald Trump's election as US president, who some fear will move to scale down American support for Ukraine.

But he added: "We must stand together -- Europe, North America and our global partners... We have to keep our trans-atlantic alliance strong."

Rutte, meanwhile, expressed concern at the support Iran, North Korea and China were giving Russia in its war against Ukraine.

"After delivering ammunition and ballistic missiles, North Korea has now sent troops to fight and die alongside Russia in its illegal war," Rutte said.

Iran designed and supplied drones that attack Ukraine while "China backs Russia's economy, enables its defence ministry and amplifies its narrative on the world stage," he said.

"Russia, working together with North Korea, Iran and China, is not only threatening Europe, it threatens peace and security. Yes, here in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and North America."