Russia launched 30 ballistic missiles at Kyiv, killing nine and wounding 28 | Ukraine news
A night of mass strikes left Kyiv with civilian deaths and wide damage. Officials warn urgent air-defence supplies are needed to prevent further civilian suffering.
In the night of August 1, Russia launched a massive strike on Kyiv, using thirty ballistic missiles, said Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga. The hellish night in the capital became the second such attack in a few days; Moscow is intensifying air strikes and pressure on the civilian population to undermine stability in the country. Ukraine needs additional air defense systems and interceptors to reduce the threat.
The hellish night in Kyiv… the second such massive strike just two days later. Not achieving its goals on the battlefield, Russia is intensifying its air attacks and terror against the civilian population. Ukraine urgently needs additional air defense and anti-missile defense systems and interceptors
– Andriy Sibiga
The speed of decisions and deliveries is crucial. Every decision that strengthens the defense of Ukrainian skies saves lives, while any delay leads to deaths and war crimes. It is the battle for the sky that will determine the trajectory of this war. The stronger the air shield over Ukraine, the closer peace becomes
– Andriy Sibiga
Consequences of the strike and government actions
According to city authorities, on August 1 nine people were killed in Kyiv, and 28 more were injured, among them four children. Seventeen are hospitalized; medical staff provided outpatient or on-site assistance to others, said Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
The State Emergency Service reported fires and destruction in five districts of Kyiv. Firefighters are conducting emergency rescue operations at the impact sites.
Ukraine lacks interceptors for the MIM-104 Patriot systems. It is the only installation in Ukraine capable of effectively shooting down Iskander-M, Kinzhals, and Zircons that travel on ballistic and quasi-ballistic trajectories. Accordingly, there is a trend toward reduced effectiveness in countering such missiles. In light of this shortage, Ukrainian authorities have called on partners to expand production of ballistic-missile interceptors.
Russian forces regularly attack Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure across all regions of the country with various weapons – from strike drones to missiles, KABs, MLRS. The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations classify these strikes as war crimes by the Russian Federation and emphasize that they are deliberate in nature.
Attacks on life-support systems of the population and health care facilities aimed at depriving people of electricity, heat, water supply, communications, medical aid, and other essential conditions for life are a hallmark of genocidal acts.
During the wide-scale war, Russia commits all kinds of crimes against Ukrainian citizens that may fall under the definition of genocide, lawyers, genocide researchers, and human rights advocates say. Specifically:
Signs of genocide according to lawyers and international experts
- declaration of the intent to destroy Ukrainians as a nation;
- public calls for the destruction of Ukrainians;
- deliberate attacks on life-support systems and infrastructure to deprive people of basic life necessities;
- persecution and elimination of pro-Ukrainian individuals in occupied territories;
- extermination of the intelligentsia and bearers of Ukrainian culture;
- introduction in educational institutions in occupied territories of a system aimed at changing children’s identity;
- deportation of children without parents to Russia to change their identity;
- removal and destruction of Ukrainian books from libraries, looting of museums, and deliberate theft of artifacts that indicate the long history of Ukrainians.
The Convention on the Prevention of Genocide and Punishment for it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. States parties to the Convention must prevent acts of genocide and punish them during both war and peacetime.
The Convention defines genocide as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, religious, or other group. Signs of genocide: deliberate killings of group members or causing them serious bodily harm; deliberately creating living conditions calculated to destroy the group; preventing births and forcibly transferring children from one group to another; public incitement to commit such acts.
The leadership of Russia denies that the Russian army, during the full-scale war, delivers deliberate strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy facilities, and water supply. In light of these events, the need to strengthen the defense of the skies and further international cooperation to protect citizens and critical infrastructure grows.