Russia fired a barrage of missiles on several regions across Ukraine on the evening of May 3 as heavy fighting intensifies in the east.
Approximately 18 Russian missiles hit infrastructure sites across the country. Preliminary reports suggest that at least eight other missiles were downed by Ukraine's Air Defense, the military said.
Several deaths and injuries were reported. Russian forces hit six train stations in central and western Ukraine and caused delays, head of Ukraine’s state-owned railway Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Kamyshin said. Other infrastructure sites such as pumping stations and electric substations also sustained damage.
The targeted regions include westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast, reportedly suffering its first direct Russian attack ever. The regional administration reported that an electrical substation was hit in the town of Volovets.
Zakarpattia Governor Viktor Mykyta said authorities are still clarifying the information regarding injuries and possible victims of the attack.
In neighboring Lviv Oblast, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said that Russia fired five missiles targeting the region and two of them were shot down by Ukraine's air defense. He informed residents that a Russian missile strike has damaged three electric substations in Lviv.
As a result, parts of the city of Lviv have been cut off from electricity and water supply, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. He added that three pumping stations are also without power, and two people suffered shrapnel wounds and were hospitalized. The mayor said workers are restoring the water supply through alternative sources of electricity.
Russia also launched rocket attacks on railway infrastructure in central Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, injuring one person, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. The infrastructure site was badly damaged and the railway has temporarily ceased operations, according to the official.
In central Kirovohrad Oblast, two Russian missiles fired from the direction of the Caspian Sea hit a railway infrastructure in Dolinskaya community, Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command reported. There are deaths and injuries, according to the military’s report.
Three unspecified infrastructure sites were hit in Odesa Oblast, including in the city of Artsyz. Earlier in the day, Ukraine's air defense downed three other missiles flying toward Odesa Oblast.
Two missiles were shot down over the southwestern city of Vinnytsia, according to Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Interior Ministry. Two blasts heard by local residents were Ukraine’s air defenses, regional governor Serhiy Borzov said.
Gerashchenko also reported that another cruise missile was shot down “on its way to Kyiv.” That could have accounted for the explosion reportedly heard on the night of May 3 in Kyiv.
Ukrainian media reported that at least one blast was heard in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia but there have been no official statements about anything being hit in the city.
As Russian forces step up their missile attacks across Ukraine, heavy fighting and shelling continue in the eastern Donbas region. On May 3, Russian attacks killed at least 21 civilians and wounded 27 others in Donetsk Oblast, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported.
Kyrylenko emphasized that this was the largest number of casualties in one day since the Russian missiles hit Kramatorsk train station on April 8, killing over 50 people.
In response to Russia’s latest missile attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the strikes clearly show that the Russian military is "nervously reacting to Ukraine’s successes," such as pushing Russians back in Kharkiv Oblast.
"They (Russians) are trying to avenge their powerlessness because Ukraine is beyond their power," Zelensky said during his evening address.
