Russia launches the ninth wave of missile strikes on Ukraine in a month

Russia launched multiple missile strikes on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and other Ukrainian cities this month. Another drone strike was launched on Kyiv in the early hours of on May 18.

The Ukrainian capital was hit by missile strikes in the early hours of Thursday for the second time in three days. Reportedly, it was the ninth wave of missile strikes on Ukraine this month.

Reportedly, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ordered aerial strikes on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine claimed that the attack had been launched by Russian strategic bombers.

Ukrainian air defence said it managed to shoot down all of the missiles on May 18. However, the strikes caused two fires in eastern districts.

Serhiy Popko, a Ukrainian military general, said that a fire broke out in non-residential premises in the Desnyansky district of Ukraine. Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko also said that a fire also broke out in a garage facility in the Darnitsya region of Kyiv. He said there were no casualties from those attacks.

On May 17, a missile attack on the southern Black Sea port city of Odesa killed one person and injured two others, according to Natalia Humenyuk, the head of the United Coordination Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces.

On Tuesday, Ukraine said it shot down six Russian missiles. Three people were injured due to the missile attack.

Recently, three Russian hypersonic missile scientists were arrested in connection to a treason investigation. Anatoly Maslov, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev faced serious allegations on suspicion of high treason.

Last month, Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu and Putin vowed to strengthen military cooperation between China and Russia. The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties between the two countries.

Russia, China and Iran also conducted naval exercises in the Arabian Sea in March this year.