Explosions rang out in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Tuesday, 29 September, as near-daily Russian attacks on Ukraine continued, while Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree increasing the number of active-duty army personnel to 1,550,000. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on Telegram that missile debris had fallen in the courtyard of a residential building.
Kyiv explosions and casualties from Russian strikes
He added that a fire had broken out in a non-residential building in another part of the city. Tuesday's explosions followed Russian drone strikes targeting several areas of Ukraine, including the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that the strikes had killed 9 people and injured more than 80 others.
Ukraine's air force had announced earlier on Monday that Russia had attacked the country with 124 drones in the hours before its statement was issued, adding that Kyiv region was the main direction of the attack. The air force added that Ukrainian air defences had shot down or disabled 86 drones, including 49 jet-powered drones.
Putin increases size of Russian army
According to its tally, strikes were recorded at 27 locations, while debris fell at 4 other sites. In a development related to the war, Putin signed a presidential decree on Monday increasing the number of Russian troops on active duty by 15,500, bringing the total to 1,550,000.
Under the decree, the total strength of Russia's armed forces will rise to 2,441,630 personnel, including 1,550,000 active-duty troops. The new increase follows a similar rise approved last August.
Deep strikes by Russia and Ukraine against each other are escalating during the fifth year of the war, targeting vital facilities and energy, food and communications supply lines. Meanwhile, US-led talks to end the war have made no significant breakthrough, while the United Nations has warned that the number of civilian deaths is rising.
