KYIV: At least four people were killed when Russia unleashed a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, with the capital city of Kyiv suffering the heaviest assault.
This is the first major bombardment since an air attack on Kyiv killed at least 21 people last month.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration, confirmed Sunday’s casualties via Telegram, and said 10 others were wounded in the attack that targeted civilian areas across the city. A 12-year-old girl was among the dead.
“The Russians have restarted the child death counter,” Tkachenko wrote on Telegram.
Thick black smoke could be seen rising from a blast near the city center.
The strikes that began overnight and continued after dawn also targeted residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, a medical facility and a kindergarten, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who also said damage was reported at more than 20 locations across the capital.
At Kyiv’s central train station, passengers arrived to the crackle of anti-aircraft gunfire and the low buzz of attack drones. Mostly women, they waited quietly in a platform underpass until the air raid alert ended. Parents checked the news on their phones while children played online games.
“The sky has turned black again,” said one woman at the station, who gave only her first name, Erika. “It’s happening a lot.”
At a multi-story residential building heavily damaged by a drone attack, a large section of the upper floors was gutted and windows blown out. Emergency services personnel, including firefighters with an extended ladder truck, used power saws to clear the debris. Piles of glass littered nearby sidewalks as building residents, some looking shaken, sat on benches.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the scope of the assault as involving “hundreds of drones and missiles.” “We must maximize the cost of further escalation for Russia,” Sybiha said, writing on X.
Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attacks.
The assault also triggered military responses in neighboring Poland, where fighter jets were deployed early Sunday morning as Russia struck targets in western Ukraine, according to the Polish armed forces.
Polish military officials characterized these defensive measures as “preventative.”
International concerns have mounted recently that the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders as European countries rebuked Russia for what they said were provocations. The incidents have included Russian drones landing on Polish soil and Russian fighter aircraft entering Estonian airspace.
The latest bombardment follows President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement Saturday of what he called a “mega deal” for weapons purchases from the United States. The $90 billion package includes both the major arms agreement and a separate “drone deal” for Ukrainian-made drones that the US will purchase directly.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 41 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday.
Large Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv kills 4 and wounds at least 10
https://arab.news/wmbcf
Large Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv kills 4 and wounds at least 10
- Drones flew over the city and surrounding region and anti-aircraft fire rang out through the night
Louvre Museum closed as workers launch rolling strike
- After the memo, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a massive renovation plan for the museum, expected to cost €700 million to €800 million (up to $940 million)
PARIS: The Louvre closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday as staff launched a rolling strike to protest working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a shocking robbery.
Staff assembled outside the museum’s world-famous glass pyramid, blocking the main entrance and holding signs, as security agents turned tourists away.
“The Louvre on strike,” said a banner.
“All together all together,” striking staff shouted. “Who does the Louvre belong to? To us!“
Workers are demanding extra staff and measures to tackle overcrowding, adding to the woes of the world’s most visited museum just as France gears up for the Christmas holidays.
“We are angry,” Elize Muller, a security guard, told reporters. “We disagree with the way the Louvre has been managed.”
The strike comes nearly two months after the museum was victim of an embarrassing daylight heist that saw crown jewels worth $102 million stolen.
A notice in the museum’s courtyard said the Louvre would remain closed on Monday.
At a general meeting, around 400 employees voted unanimously to launch a strike, which can be renewed, to protest the “deterioration” of working conditions, the CGT and CFDT unions said.
Another general meeting was scheduled to take place Wednesday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
“I’m very disappointed, because the Louvre was the main reason for our visit in Paris, because we wanted to see the ‘Mona Lisa’,” said 37-year-old Minsoo Kim, who had traveled from Seoul with his wife for their honeymoon.
Natalia Brown, a 28-year-old tourist from London, said she understands “why they’re doing it,” but called it “unfortunate timing for us.”
Rachel Adams, a 60-year-old real estate agent from Utah, said she had heard of the plans to strike.
“I think that the Louvre makes a lot of money and they should be handling their finances quite a bit better. They had the big water leak. I mean, this is important stuff.”
Speaking on the eve of the action, Christian Galani, from the hard-left CGT union, said the strike would have broad support across the museum’s 2,200-strong workforce.
“We’re going to have a lot more strikers than usual,” Galani said.
“Normally, it’s front-of-house and security staff. This time, there are scientists, documentarians, collections managers, even curators and colleagues in the workshops telling us they plan to go on strike.”
All have different grievances, adding up to a picture of staff discontent inside the institution, just as it finds itself in a harsh public spotlight following the shocking robbery on Oct. 19.
Reception and security staff complain they are understaffed and required to manage vast flows of people, with the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” welcoming several million people beyond its planned capacity each year.
A spontaneous walk-out protest in June led the museum to temporarily close.
The Louvre has become a symbol of so-called “over-tourism,” with the 30,000 daily visitors facing what unions call an “obstacle course” of hazards, long queues, and sub-standard toilets and catering.
Documentarians and curators are increasingly horrified by the state of disrepair inside the former royal palace, with a recent water leak and the closure of a gallery due to structural problems underlining the difficulties.
“The building is not in a good state,” chief Louvre architect Francois Chatillon admitted in front of lawmakers last month.
Under-fire Louvre boss Laurence des Cars, who faces persistent calls to resign, warned the government in January in a widely publicized memo about leaks, overheating and the declining visitor experience.
After the memo, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a massive renovation plan for the museum, expected to cost €700 million to €800 million (up to $940 million).
Questions continue to swirl since the break-in over whether it was avoidable and why the national treasure appeared to be poorly protected.
Two intruders used a portable extendable ladder to access the gallery containing the crown jewels, cutting through a glass door with angle grinders in front of startled visitors before stealing eight priceless items.
Investigations have since revealed that only one security camera was working outside when they struck, that guards in the control room did not have enough screens to watch the coverage in real time, and that police were initially misdirected.
