Ukraine War: Russia launches drone attacks on Kyiv

According to the Ukrainian military on Sunday, Russia launched drone assaults on Kyiv and southern Ukraine during the night, hurting at least one civilian and causing damage to residential buildings, a gas pipeline, and the river and sea port of Mykolaiv. Overnight, 40 out of 45 Russian-launched Shahed attack drones were destroyed by Ukraine’s air defense systems, the Air Force of Ukraine claimed on the messaging app Telegram. “The air alert in the capital lasted almost two hours,” Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram. He continued by saying that as the drones approached Kiev, they were all shot down. Based on initial reports, there were no deaths or major damage in or around the capital. It was certified clear skies over Kiev shortly before 4 a.m. (0200 GMT). According to the southern military command of Ukraine, 26 Russian-launched Shahed drones were destroyed by its air defense systems over the course of more than five hours of combat, primarily over the Mykolaiv region close to the Black Sea. According to the military, at least one civilian was hurt in the incident in southern Ukraine. “The priority for the enemy was again the coastal strip of infrastructure and agro-industrial facilities,” the military said. Residential structures and a gas pipeline in Mykolaiv were damaged by falling debris from a downed drone and the blast wave, according to the military command. The military reported that four drones were shot down above the Black Sea port of Odesa. (With agency inputs)