Ukraine Says It Defeated Russian Drone Attack on Kyiv 

People take cover inside a subway station during an air raid alert at night, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 19, 2023. (Reuters)
People take cover inside a subway station during an air raid alert at night, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 19, 2023. (Reuters)
TT

Ukraine Says It Defeated Russian Drone Attack on Kyiv 

People take cover inside a subway station during an air raid alert at night, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 19, 2023. (Reuters)
People take cover inside a subway station during an air raid alert at night, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 19, 2023. (Reuters)

Russia launched its fifth air attack this month targeting Kyiv and air defense systems destroyed all drones on approach to the capital, Ukrainian military officials said early on Wednesday.

Ukraine's Air Force said air defense systems destroyed 18 out of 19 attack drones launched at Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson and other regions of Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how many were destroyed over Kyiv.

"According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction in the capital," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Ukrainian air force also said that Russia attacked the Kharkiv region in the east with two surface-to-air guided missiles. There were no casualties as a result of the assault, it added.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Russia started carrying out strikes on Ukraine's energy, military and transport infrastructure in regions far from the front line in October 2022, six months after Moscow troops failed to take over Kyiv and withdrew to Ukraine's east and south.

Most of southeastern Ukraine remained under air raid alerts at 2300 GMT, with Ukraine's air force saying that the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions were under threat of Russian ballistic missile attacks.



White House: Biden ‘Deeply Concerned’ about Release of Documents on Israel’s Possible Attack Plans

US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)
US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)
TT

White House: Biden ‘Deeply Concerned’ about Release of Documents on Israel’s Possible Attack Plans

US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)
US President Joe Biden attends an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 October 2024. (EPA)

President Joe Biden is "deeply concerned" about the release of classified documents on Israel's preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran, according to a White House spokesman.

US officials confirmed on Saturday that the administration is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that the administration was still not certain if the classified information that became publicly disclosed was leaked or hacked.

Kirby added that administration officials don’t have any indication at this point of "additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain." He added the Pentagon is investing the matter.

"We’re deeply concerned and the president remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen and it’s unacceptable when it does," Kirby said.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the "Five Eyes," which are the US, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app.