Ukraine says downed 14 out of 19 Russian cruise missiles overnight
Officials in Kyiv say Russian forces stockpiled drones and missiles for attacks on Ukraine's struggling energy grid over winter.
"Nineteen cruise missiles X101/X555 were launched. And we have not a bad result from our air defenses -- 14 destroyed cruise missiles," Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, told state media.
He said the missiles were downed over the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions and that they were targeting civilian infrastructure.
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said the attacks had left two people dead and seven people injured in Dnipropetrovsk and the eastern Kharkiv region.
Kyiv city officials said the capital was targeted with cruise missiles for the first time in 79 days. They said the missiles did not hit their targets.
Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure last winter left millions in the cold and dark for extended periods.
Kyiv has bolstered its air defence systems since with Western arms, but says that it needs more weapons to protect vulnerable regions.
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