The defenders of Kyiv, led by their president, have again seen off Russian attacks

morning when a missile perforated the clear blue skies, before crashing into a high-rise in south-western , gouging a chunk out of its upper stories, destroying several flats, and sending debris raining onto the street below. Two hours after the strike on Lobanovskyi Avenue, firemen were still struggling to extinguish fires. Miraculously, there had been no deaths, and only a handful of people had suffered light injuries. The reason was perhaps less luck than the consequence of Kyiv’s citizens disappearing to basements, bomb shelters, the metro; or leaving the city altogether.The night had been hard. At its onset, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an imminent assault on the city. “We have to endure this,” he said. When they came, the attacks arrived from many fronts. Russian forces attempted to capture a power station in the north-western district of Troeshina. There were strikes on Ukraine’s cyber-command; but its cyber-warriors are well distributed. A Russian armoured column managed to make its way along Victory Avenue, an east-west artery leading to the centre. There were new attempts to land paratroopers and secure a base to fly in troops for a big assault. None of this was completely successful. When dawn broke, it became clear that Kyiv had survived another night.