Russian missiles target Kyiv on first day of school

Russia has fired a barrage of missiles at Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, hours before thousands of children return to school on the first day of the academic year.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a water treatment plant and the entrance to a metro station used as a shelter were hit. Two schools and a university were also damaged.

According to the Ukrainian military, 22 cruise missiles and airborne ballistic missiles were destroyed by the air force.

Local authorities said three people were injured by debris from the destroyed missile.

For children across the capital, Monday’s bombing coincided with the first day of school, a public holiday in Ukraine.

Teachers and parents tried to maintain a normal atmosphere by playing music while smiling students were greeted with a sea of ​​flowers.

One parent, who hid with her daughter at home during the rocket attack before taking her to school, said they had proven once again “that this nation is invincible”.

“The children were smiling, but you could see the tension on the teacher’s face. [who] “bear this burden,” she told the BBC.

“I am so grateful to them for everything they did to make this a real holiday for the kids.”

For Yevheniia, 33, who was taking her six-year-old daughter to school for the first time, the day was a terrible day filled with fear.

“Her hands were shaking,” Yevheniia told Reuters news agency.

“Our apartment is starting to smell like smoke, but we still have to go to school, right? We are Ukrainian,” she recalled telling her daughter that morning.

Alina, a student at the damaged university, told Ukrainian television she “started screaming” when the air raid alarm sounded, sending people running into bomb shelters in their dormitories.

Air raid sirens sounded for nearly two hours during the attack, before the military confirmed the skies were clear.

“We were very scared,” Alina said, adding that they saw a fire after the explosion.

After the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the first day of school “one of the most important days of the year” for children, families and teachers.

“All schools, all higher education institutions that are operating today are a testament to the strength of the people and the strength of Ukraine,” he said on his Telegram channel.

All of Ukraine was put on alert for hours, and neighboring NATO country Poland said it had deployed its own and allied aircraft to protect its airspace during the Russian air strikes.

Last month, Russian forces entered 477 square kilometres (184 square miles) of Ukrainian territory – Moscow’s biggest monthly increase since October 2022 – according to data from the Institute for the Study of War analysed by AFP.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces had not advanced at “such speed” in Donbas “for a long time” and were seizing several square kilometres of territory every day.

Meanwhile, in Russia’s Kursk region – where Ukraine launched a surprise attack on August 6 – progress has slowed, with Kyiv most recently claiming control of 1,294 square kilometres (500 square miles) of territory, including 100 settlements.

The report also added that nearly 600 Russian soldiers were also captured.

But President Putin – who was talking to children about to start their new school year – said this would not stop his forces from advancing into eastern Ukraine, insisting they were moving forward at their fastest pace in “a long time”.

“Their calculation was to stop our offensive actions in key areas of Donbas. The result is clear… they failed to stop our advance,” he said.

Some critics in Ukraine say the attack on Kursk diverted seasoned troops from the Donbas frontline at a crucial moment.

However, President Zelensky defended the offensive on Monday, saying it was going “according to plan”. He said the offensive could ease pressure on the eastern front.