Casualties and massive fires after a violent Russian airstrike on Ukrainian capital

Two people were killed in a Russian air strike on the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday morning, the head of the local military administration said.

Timur Tkachenko said in a post on Telegram that at least one of the two fatalities occurred in the Dniprovskoye district, where the Russian attack caused a fire on the eighth and ninth floors of a building.

Other Ukrainian officials announced that Russian drones targeted the capital.

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the Dniprovskoye and Darnytsky districts were targeted by drone attacks.

Damage was also reported in the Pechersky and Desnyansky districts.

Overnight, the Zaporizhia region in southern Ukraine was hit by an airstrike that injured at least nine people, according to Ukrainian emergency services.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk condemned the massive attack launched Wednesday morning on the country’s energy facilities.

In another context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is heading to Sweden on Wednesday, where the two countries will announce an arms export agreement, the Swedish government said in a statement.

Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will meet in Linköping, the headquarters of Saab defense company, which produces the Gripen stealth aircraft.

The Swedish government added, “At the conclusion of the meeting, Kristersson and Zelensky will hold a joint press conference to make an announcement on defense exports”.

“A strong and capable Ukraine is a key priority for Sweden, and we will continue to ensure that Ukraine is able to respond to Russian aggression,” Kristersson wrote on X.

Last year, Sweden suspended its plans to send Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, in response to a request from partner countries to prioritize American F-16s.