Air-raid sirens pierced the morning across Ukraine on February 10 as a volley of Russian missiles and artillery targeted cities such as Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhya, raising fears an expected renewed offensive by Moscow may be starting.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported Russian cruise missiles launched from strategic bombers were detected at 8:30 a.m. Kyiv time. Roughly two hours later, more missiles, which crossed the airspace of Moldova, were reported.
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Officials said energy installations were the main targets of the attacks, disrupting electricity supplies across Ukraine.
“In Kyiv airspace, 10 enemy missiles were destroyed by air-defense forces,” the Kyiv city military administration said on Telegram, adding that there was some slight damage in the area from debris resulting from the intercepts.
“There are no reports so far on any victims but details are still being clarified,” it said.
Fragments of a Russian rocket fell in the Holosiviskiy district of Kyiv, damaging the roof of a private house and a car, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram.
The mayor of eastern Ukraine’s largest city, Kharkiv, confirmed infrastructure there had been hit and warned of possible power outages as a result.
“A series of strikes on Kharkiv. The enemy is targeting critical infrastructure facilities. There may be interruptions with electricity, water and heat supply,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Ukrainian and Western intelligence officials have been warning for several weeks that Moscow has been amassing forces in preparation for a renewed offensive — especially in eastern Ukraine — to claim successes after a series of setbacks in recent months as the conflict nears its first anniversary on February 24.
Moldova’s Defense Ministry confirmed missiles had crossed its airspace and “strongly condemned” the occurrence, saying it would summon the Russian ambassador over the incident.
Neighboring Romania, a NATO member, knocked down some reports that the missiles also entered its airspace, saying it detected “what looked like” a cruise missile launched from a Russian ship in the Black Sea near Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia occupied in 2014.
The attacks come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told EU leaders that a free Europe was not possible without a free Ukraine as he pressed for more weapons to aid Kyiv’s defense against invading Russian forces.
The February 9 visit was the latest in Zelenskiy’s surprise tour of Europe to lobby for more weapons and EU membership to aid Ukraine’s defense, and came as Russian forces reportedly stepped up attacks in Ukraine’s east ahead of an expected offensive.
The trip to Brussels gave Zelenskiy the opportunity to speak to all 27 leaders of the European Union following visits to Britain and France the day earlier. Josep Borrell, who chairs EU summits, said without providing details that the EU leaders would promise more military support for Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has received promises from Western countries for the provision of battle tanks to boost its forces, but it has called for even more advanced weaponry, including fighter jets and longer-range rockets.
Speaking at a post-summit press conference, Zelenskiy said he had heard from “a number of European leaders…about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including aircraft.”
Zelenskiy did not specify which leaders he was talking about, but said that “France and Germany have the potential to be game changers and that’s how I see our talks today.”
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after the end of an EU summit on February 10 that while France hadn’t ruled out fighter jets for Ukraine, any move on the issue would “definitely not take place in the coming weeks,” as Kyiv has more pressing equipment needs.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz echoed Macron’s words, saying that the delivery of fighter jets was “not a topic of discussion here.”
