Boom! Boom! Boom! The Russians are at it again, folks! In the wee hours of the morning, while the rest of Ukraine was sound asleep, air alarms blared as Russian bombers unleashed a barrage of about two dozen cruise missiles and attack drones at civilian targets across the country. Was Putin having a bad dream or just feeling a little trigger-happy? Who knows? But he certainly left a trail of destruction in his wake.
The attacks weren’t just any old random bombings either, oh no. The deadliest one hit the central city of Uman, which hasn’t seen that much action in the war so far. It’s almost like the Russians were trying to shake things up a bit, you know, keep people on their toes. Sixteen people were killed in Uman, and another 18 were wounded. Who said war was boring?
President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter to reassure the public that nobody would be left under the rubble. It’s good to know someone’s on the case, right? The whole thing sounds like a disaster movie, but without the sexy actors or the happy ending. Someone pass the popcorn.
One missile hit a nine-story residential building in Uman, reducing the front to rubble. Over 100 people lived there, but at least they won’t have to worry about their morning coffee being too strong anymore, am I right? More than half of the 46 apartments were destroyed. Well, there goes the housing market.
Local hotel administrator Tetiana said, “The entire town heard that awful explosion.” Yes, Tetiana, we can imagine. It’s not often a missile lands next door, is it? Life was starting to return to normal in Uman, but the Russians just had to spoil it. They’re like the party poopers of war.
To add insult to injury, two 10-year-olds were among the dead. If that doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, we don’t know what will. The missiles also hit a warehouse. Talk about not caring about customer satisfaction.
If you thought that was it, think again. Explosions also rang out in the central city of Dnipro, and Serhii Lysak, head of the regional military administration, reported a young woman and child had been killed. At least four others were injured. Looks like the Russians were on a roll.
As expected, Ukrainian officials condemned the strikes and called for more advanced Western weapons to fend off the attacks. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, even went on Twitter, saying, “The way to peace is to kick Russia out of Ukraine. The way to peace is to arm Ukraine with F-16s and protect children from Russian terror.” Let’s hope Putin didn’t see that tweet.
And if you thought the Russians had forgotten about the capital, Kyiv, think again. Explosions in the sky were heard before dawn, and 11 cruise missiles and two drones were shot down over the region. Debris from one rocket even rained down on an apartment in Ukrainka, injuring a 13-year-old-girl. It’s starting to feel like no one is safe anymore.
The command center in Moscow probably thought they were being sneaky, launching the attack from the Caspian Sea. But Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander of Ukrainian military forces, had other plans. He revealed that Ukrainian air defences had shot down 21 of the missiles. Maybe they should consider a new line of work as missile catchers?
We hope Anna Lukinova, who contributed to the article, is okay. We know reporters are supposed to be in the thick of the action, but this just seems dangerous. Stay safe, Anna, and remember to duck!
Serious News: nytimes
