Ukraine has ratcheted up its response to attacks on Kyiv by lobbing its own threatening warning that Russia will “regret it very soon”.
Ukraine’s head of military intelligence said his country would not be intimidated after an unrelenting series of missile strikes on the capital.
The latest attack was considered unusual because it happened in broad daylight and appeared to target the city centre.
Of the 16 Russian attacks on Kyiv in May, all but the latest have happened at night.
“All those who tried to intimidate us, dreaming that it would have some effect, you will regret it very soon,” General Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement.
“Our answer will not be long.”
The attack on Monday (local time) came after Kyiv was under intense bombardment for two successive nights.
There was no significant damage and most of the drones and missiles fired at the capital at night were shot down.
The attacks were part of a new wave of increasingly frequent and intense air strikes launched by Moscow this month as Kyiv prepares to launch a counteroffensive to try to take back territory occupied by Russian forces.
US senator on Russia’s ‘wanted list’
In other news, US Senator Lindsey Graham has been added to Russia’s ‘wanted list’, according to Russian media reports.
It comes after Senator Graham was shown in a video saying “the Russians are dying” and US support was the “best money we’ve ever spent”.
The edited video was released by the Ukrainian president’s office of the senator’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday (local time).
After Russia criticised the remarks, Ukraine released a full video of the meeting which showed the two remarks were not linked.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Sunday it was opening a criminal probe into Senator Graham’s comments. It did not specify what crime he was suspected of.
Senator Graham disputed Russian criticism of his support for Ukraine on Sunday, saying he had simply praised the spirit of Ukrainians in resisting a Russian invasion with assistance provided by Washington.
A South Carolina Republican known for his hawkish foreign policy views, Senator Graham has been an outspoken champion of increased military support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia.
Russia has previously added dozens of US officials and elected politicians to stop lists, banning them from entering the country, but has rarely sought the arrest of senior American officeholders.
