Minute-by-minute account of Russian missile attack on Kyiv during South African president's visit
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Russia launched a daylight mass missile attack on Ukraine and its capital Kyiv on June 16 – the very day South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and delegates of anAfrican peace mission were in Kyiv to meet with top Ukrainian officials ahead of a meeting next day with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
At around 10.50 a.m., air alerts started to
sound in Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy oblasts.
"Launches of Kalibr cruise missiles
from the Black Sea have been recorded," the Ukrainian Air Force reported
later on Telegram.
At 11.05 a.m. the air raid sirens started
to sound the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
11.31 a.m. The Kyiv Military Administration
reported explosions in Kyiv and the threat of ballistic missile launches from
Bryansk Oblast in Russia, to the north of the Ukrainian capital.
Air raid alerts subsequently spread to all
regions. The Air Force issued a statement, confirming that multiple missiles were
currently airborne, moving in a northern trajectory. Meanwhile, the Kyiv City
Military Administration reassured the public by affirming that air defense
systems are fully operational on the outskirts of the capital.
11.38 a.m. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported
an explosion in the Podilsky District of the capital, stand warned that
missiles were still flying towards Kyiv.
11.50 a.m. The Air Force announced it would
now provide updates on potential missile strikes and drone attacks directly to
the Ukrainian public through their Telegram channel. This new communication
initiative aims to keep citizens informed and prepared for any threats.
12.02 p.m. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba,
in a tweet, characterized Russian missile attack on Kyiv as a troubling
"message to Africa." The attack coincided with a visit to Kyiv by
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and an African "peacekeeping
mission," including representatives from Zambia, Comoros Islands, the
Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal, and Uganda.
12.15 p.m. The Air Force warned of the
potential for missile launches from Novorossiysk in southern Russia, on the
eastern Black Sea coast.
12.17 p.m. The all-clear sounded in Kyiv
following the missile attack.
12.25 p.m. Reports came in that six Kinzhal
and six Kalibr missiles were successfully intercepted and downed over Kyiv. The
Air Force's preliminary data indicated that the following were destroyed: six
aeroballistic Kinzhal missiles, and six Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as two
reconnaissance drones.
12.35 p.m. There was no information on the
number of casualties or extent of damage within Kyiv itself. However, the Kyiv
Military Administration warned of the possibility of further attacks,
underscoring the ongoing threat faced by the city.
12.38 p.m. It was reported that private
houses were destroyed and there were casualties in Kyiv Oblast as a result of falling
missile debris, and that a fire had broken out.
12.41 p.m. According to the latest
information from the Air Force, there were no confirmed reports of additional
missile launches from Novorossiysk.
The aftermath and consequences of this
attack will be closely monitored by NV.
During the night of June 16, Russia
unleashed Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones targeting Ukraine. Two unmanned aerial
vehicles were successfully neutralized in the southern direction, specifically
in Mykolaiv Oblast.
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