Ukraine's capital was subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia's war, local officials said, as Kyiv prepared to mark the anniversary of its founding on Sunday. At least one person was killed.
Russia launched the most massive attack on the city overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, said Serhii Popko, a senior Kyiv military official. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 54 Iranian Shahed drones had been launched by Russia overnight and 52 of them had been destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitshko said Ukrainian air defence forces had “already intercepted more than 20 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)” heading toward the capital and warned that “a new wave of drones is on its way,” CNN reported.
“The enemy launched another overnight attack on military facilities and critical infrastructure in the country’s central regions, specifically Kyiv Oblast. Near the zone Air Command ‘Center’, most of the attack drones were destroyed!” the air force said in a Twitter post.
The drone attack killed two and injured three. The falling drone debris sparked fires across Kyiv, Mayor Klitshko said on Telegram.
The city of Nikopol was shelled with heavy artillery by the Russians, Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region’s military administration.
“The enemy fired again on the civilian population with heavy artillery. The aggressor shelled Nikopol twice during the night, damaging six private houses and two outbuildings,” Lysak wrote in a Telegram post.
-- With PTI inputs