Russia strikes Kyiv for fifth straight day in attempts to wear down Ukraine

Russian forces relentlessly battered Kyiv and cities in the region around the Ukrainian capital for a fifth straight day Monday, leaving some supermarket shelves bare after repeated strikes on warehouses as Ukraine reels from attacks with jet-powered drones.Russia has intensified its aerial attacks in recent months, more than four years after it invaded its neighbor.Almost constant air raid alerts in the Kyiv region in recent days have severely disrupted daily routines.

Two major attacks in July killed almost 50 civilians, and a strike on Saturday killed at least 38 people.Classes were due to resume at Ukrainian schools on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether parents would send their children.Schools have air raid shelters, and classes can also be held online.

But about 1 million textbooks have been destroyed in Russian attacks on publishing houses, potentially delaying deliveries for the start of the school year, Ukraine’s Education Ministry said earlier this month.“Right now, Russia’s tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians — first and foremost, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media late Sunday.Ukraine has also tried to make Russian civilians feel the burden of war by hammering major online retailers and oil facilities.The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, though its strikes have not been as deadly for civilians.A pall of black smoke drifted over Kyiv on Monday morning.

In Brovary and Boryspil, cities in the Kyiv region, the aerial attacks struck several warehouses and four people were wounded, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration.Zelensky conceded on social media that Ukraine is struggling to counter fast-flying jet-propelled drones that Russia is increasingly deploying.Between Thursday and Sunday, Russia fired almost 1,500 drones at Ukraine, and around 800 of them were jet-powered, Zelensky said.Combat aircraft are currently trying to stop the jet-powe...