Russia-Ukraine war updates: Russia launches night air attack on Kyiv

Russia launched a fresh wave of air attacks, the eighth in May, on the Ukrainian capital early on Tuesday. Ukrainian officials said defense systems had shot down objects over several districts of Kyiv.

The night attack was complex, with drones, cruise and likely ballistic missiles launched from different directions, Kyiv officials said.

"It was exceptional in its density: the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's city military administration, said in comments posted on the Telegram messaging app.

"According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected and destroyed!" he added.

It was not immediately known how many objects were shot down over the city and if any of them managed to hit their target. It was also not clear whether it was a missile or a drone attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said falling debris set several cars on fire and damaged a building in the Solomyanskyi district in the capital's west. Three people were injured.

Two cars caught fire in the city's southeastern Darnytskyi district, he added. Debris also fell on the city's zoo in the Shevchenkivskyi district.

Kyiv's military administration said falling debris was reported in the capital's Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Solomyanskyi and Darnytskyi districts.

After a weekslong hiatus, Russia in late April resumed its tactic of long-range missile strikes and has launched a flurry of attacks in recent days, often targeting Kyiv.

Nearly all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts in early hours of Tuesday.

The latest attacks came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned from a Europe trip aimed at securing new weapons for a counteroffensive against Russia.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Tuesday, May 16:

US Abrams tanks land in Germany for Ukrainian training

The 31 tanks the United States promised earlier this year to deliver to Ukraine have arrived at a military training center in Germany, the US Defense Department said.

"I can confirm that the 31 M1 Abrams training tanks have arrived at Grafenwöhr, Germany in preparation for subsequent training of Ukrainian tank crews," Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in Washington. Grafenwöhr, in northern Bavaria, is home to a US military training base.

Ryder said Ukrainian crews were expected to arrive and begin training within the next couple of weeks.

"As we've discussed previously, this extensive training program for Ukrainian crews and maintainers is intended to prepare them for their critical roles ahead in effectively operating the M1 tank and defending Ukrainian people," he said.

The long-awaited decision to send 31 US tanks to Ukraine was made back in January, in conjunction with Germany's drawn-out decision on whether or not to send Kyiv Leopard main battle tanks.