Residents in Ukraine braced for new Russian attacks after Moscow’s lead warship in the Black Sea sank after a fire. Powerful explosions were heard in Kyiv early on Friday, and air raid sirens blared across the country as residents braced for new Russian attacks.
The blasts seemed to be among the most powerful in Ukraine’s capital region since Russian troops withdrew earlier this month in preparation for fights in the south and east.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for sinking the Moskva, claiming that one of its missiles hit the Soviet-era flagship of Russia’s Black Sea navy. The ship sank late Thursday while being hauled to dock, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
The missile cruiser’s crew of over 500 was evacuated after ammunition on board burst, according to the ministry, which did not acknowledge an attack. Ukraine claims it fired a locally manufactured Neptune anti-ship missile at the vessel.
The ship’s destruction comes as Russia’s military continues its Black Sea shelling of Ukrainian cities some 50 days after the invasion began. On the adjacent Azov Sea, residents of Odesa and Mariupol have been prepared for additional Russian attacks.
In an early morning video speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy alluded to the sunken warship, warning of Russian intentions to target the eastern Donbas region, including Mariupol.
‘Those who prevented the movement of the endless convoys of Russian military equipment… Those who demonstrated that Russian ships can go… down to the bottom,’ Zelenskiy said.
Following the explosions reported in Kyiv, Kherson in the south, Kharkiv in the east, and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west, there were no immediate reports of damage. Electricity disruptions were recorded in portions of Kyiv, according to Ukrainian media.
Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine shortly after midnight on Friday, and continued to blare in the eastern districts of Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia even after the rest of the country fell silent, according to Ukrainian media.
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