Kyiv has survived its biggest missile attack since the full-scale invasion started. How the capital is recovering
On the morning of 2 January, Russia attacked Ukraine in several waves with missiles of various types. Powerful explosions were heard in five districts of Kyiv. Air defence forces managed to shoot down 61 Russian missiles in the sky over the capital, 10 of which were aerial ballistic Kinzhals. A total of 72 aerial targets were shot down during the attack.
"Come on, let's go home." An elderly man is trying to persuade his boxer to take a step. The dog, visibly frightened by the morning missile attack, is standing in front of the entrance to the courtyard of their apartment building. The owner tries to calm the dog down.
Rescue workers, firefighters, medics and police are working tirelessly at the site of the morning missile strike. Although the fire was extinguished several hours ago, flames continue to emerge from the broken windows. Lumps of melted metal that were once cars can be seen beneath the destroyed entrance, where they were thrown by the blast.
"You see, that car was parked there, and the blast wave threw it right over here," one rescue worker tells another.
People whose lives were turned upside down this morning are standing on the opposite side of the road, staring at their burnt-out apartments with glassy eyes. It is good if they were lucky enough to grab their documents and at least some outdoor clothing.
A woman wearing only a dress and slippers, wrapped in a blanket, runs into the devastated courtyard. She says that her children have been left with nothing and she needs to at least get some nappies, and rushes into the smoke-filled entrance.
"Ira, come on! You'll catch a cold – get in the car, Ira!" her husband says, trying to calm her down.
Rescue workers have rescued a man from the nine-storey building. An ambulance takes him away. Later, an elderly lady is carried out. Her forehead is streaked with blood, but she is conscious.
As of 17:00, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that two residents of the building had been killed and 49 people had been injured and suffered blast injuries. The search and rescue operation is ongoing.
Andrii Dubchak, Danylo Dubchak, Yeva Fomychova