Russia struck Ukraine very hard overnight, with reports saying over 25 explosions were seen and heard in the city of Kiev alone, in just one hour.
Local residents in Kiev report: "Wave after wave of explosions. Close. Windows rattling. Smoke rising through the city. Now nothing but emergency sirens."
Large-scale Russian missile strikes are ongoing in Ukraine this morning.
Strikes in Kyiv appear to have hit civil power infrastructure, with outages reported and footage of burning transformers posted on social media.
Kyiv is getting destroyed.
16 Tu-95MS strategic Russian bombers are in the air as of last night, so it was clear hours in advance, that Ukraine was about to be hit hard (Story Here).
Video of missiles flying into the city just over rooftops is already online:
The russian cruise missiles flying low over the civilian houses in Kyiv. Does anybody know, how deeply the UN are concerned about that? If they are at all. pic.twitter.com/ARBZl3mtTq
— Operator Starsky (@StarskyUA) January 2, 2024
Ukraine's weekend attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, which has left dozens of civilians dead and injured, was an act of terrorism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. Kiev will not be left unpunished when it engages in such activities, he warned.
🇷🇺💥🇺🇦 Kiev this morning!
— Leonardo Nierras (@LNierras33422) January 2, 2024
🇷🇺💥🇺🇦 Massive explosion in Kiev!
🇷🇺💥🇺🇦 Kiev is getting absolutely hammered. Another massive explosion reported.
They report about 20 explosions in total. pic.twitter.com/fTTohzsdG2
Preliminary results of attacks on Kyiv
— Several air defense systems were destroyed
— Electrical substations damaged
— In some areas of Kiev, water also disappeared
— A number of industrial facilities hit
The missile barrages are continuing. Residents posting to social media show the typical scene that they are waking up to:
All over Kyiv this morning, this is how we wake up. pic.twitter.com/vP3MgpqN43
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) January 2, 2024
Residents in Kiev angry over attacks; but long-term observers point out none of them said anything from 2014 through 2016 while Ukraine was bombing the hell out of Luhansk and Donetsk, killing upwards of 13,000 civilians in those Russian-speaking areas!
My home is now partially in rubble. I have no windows on one side anymore. I have minor injuries but I am alive. The fires are everywhere. russia you will pay. pic.twitter.com/rLaITQowkV
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) January 2, 2024
Said one long-term observer "It's kind of hard to feel sorry for the people in Kiev now that Russia is giving them a dose of their own medicine."
Another observer made a rather rude point by saying "The USA says genocide by Israel is A-OK, so bombing the elite nightclubs in downtown Kiev and Lviv - where the politicians and their kids dance and party and drink $1000 champagne into the night -- should also be A-OK now. The USA has set precedent so anything and everything is on the table."
AFP notes strikes have left 250,000 consumers without power in Kiev and the surrounding region.
