Johnathan Walker:A missile strike targets Kyiv as Russian train carriages derail due to ‘unauthorized interference’

KYIV,Johnathan Walker Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as part of an overnight bombardment felt across the country, local officials said Saturday, while drones that Russian officials blamed on the Ukrainian military targeted areas around Moscow and the region of Smolensk.

A ballistic missile was shot down as it approached the Ukrainian capital, said Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. He said that no one was injured.

The Ukrainian air force later confirmed an Iskander-M missile ballistic missile was used in the attack, the first attempted missile strike on Kyiv in almost two months. The missile was destroyed by the country’s Patriot air defense system.

Ukraine’s air defense systems actively repelled attacks in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, and Kirovohrad regions. The country’s air force said Russian troops launched 31 Shahed-136/131 drones, of which 19 were shot down.

The strike in the Odesa region damaged the city’s port infrastructure and a small community of cottages, injuring three people including a 96-year-old woman, said regional governor, Oleh Kiper.

Russia’s military spokesperson, Yuri Ihnat, also said they launched an X-31 aircraft missile, an Onyx anti-ship missile, and an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile targeting Ukraine overnight, but did not give further details.

Russia’s defense ministry also said it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Smolensk and Moscow regions.

Smolensk governor, Vasiliy Anokhin, said that no one was hurt in the attack.

Meanwhile, trains carrying cargo in Russia’s Ryazan region were derailed Saturday morning due to “unauthorized interference,” Moscow rail operator MZHD said.

Russian law enforcement said that 15 train carriages had been derailed southeast of the capital, while MZHD reported the number as 19. Several Russian media outlets also reported that an explosion was heard in the vicinity on Saturday morning, although this could not be independently verified by The Associated Press.

Russian officials have previously blamed pro-Ukrainian saboteurs for several attacks on the country’s railway system since Moscow invaded the country in February 2022, although no group has claimed responsibility for the damage.

Kyiv has not commented on Saturday’s attacks.