Reports have emerged that Russia executed a sizable drone assault on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, resulting in the death of at least one individual, according to local authorities.
The city’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, detailed an incident in which a man lost his life as debris from a drone fell near a fuel station, also causing injury to a woman.
Russia reportedly deployed a record-breaking 54 kamikaze drones against Ukrainian objectives. The Ukrainian Air Force claims that they successfully intercepted 52 of these drones.
More than 40 of the drones were neutralized over Kyiv itself, according to officials.
These reports are yet to be confirmed by independent sources.
Since initiating a comprehensive invasion in February 2022, Russia has intensified its assault on Kyiv, aiming to overpower the capital city’s defenses.
Air raid warnings were triggered earlier in the day across 12 Ukrainian regions, from Volyn in the northwest to Dnipropetrovsk in the southeast.
In a social media message, Mayor Klitschko implored Kyiv’s inhabitants to seek refuge, anticipating a wave of drone strikes and a challenging night ahead.
Two skyscrapers in various parts of the capital city reportedly caught fire due to falling drone remnants, according to Klitschko. Warehouses in Kyiv’s southern district of Holosiyivsky were also reported to be in flames.
Some officials have accused Russia of intentionally targeting Kyiv as its residents were gearing up to celebrate Kyiv Day – a commemoration of the city’s founding 1500 years ago, a widely celebrated occasion before the war.
Reports also surfaced of explosions in Zhytomyr, a city located west of Kyiv.
The air raid alert was eventually deactivated in Kyiv and throughout the nation.
In addition to kamikaze drones, Russia’s recent offensive tactics include a variety of cruise and ballistic missiles.
These attacks come in anticipation of a potential counter-offensive by Ukraine.
One of Ukraine’s high-ranking security officers, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, indicated to the BBC that a counterstrike to reclaim territories from President Putin’s invading forces could be initiated imminently.
