Kyiv came under intense drone assault early Friday as Russian forces launched a wave of unmanned aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital. The attacks have caused fires in residential zones and have led to widespread alarm. This attack came shortly after Russia pledged to retaliate against Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb, a drone attack that caused damage to a substantial portion of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet. As per city officials, several buildings were damaged, and emergency crews have responded to multiple fire outbreaks. At least three people have been injured in the Russian ballistic and drone attack.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, has confirmed that the drones attacked the city in waves and stated that Ukrainian air defence units are actively working to stop them. “There is also a risk of ballistic missiles being used against the capital, “Tkachenko warned as quoted by Reuters in a later statement, hinting that the threat level could increase more.
Multiple loud explosions were heard by the journalist who was reporting from the ground. According to them, one particularly large fire broke out at the site of a drone impact. Smoke and flames were seen coming from several locations all over Kyiv.
Multiple residential buildings targeted at Ukraine’s capital
One of the most serious incidents occurred in the Darnytskyi district on Kyiv’s eastern side, where a drone strike hit the upper floors of a high-rise apartment block, igniting a fire. Thachenko mentioned that emergency power outages could have been affected in the area because of the damage.
An official report from a local Telegram channel indicates that a nearby shopping centre was engulfed in flames. However, this information has not been verified from official sources yet.
Apart from this, another fire broke out in a residential building in a western district. As per a Reuters report, authorities have confirmed that debris of damaged drones has been found in at least three places across the city.
As per the latest update, the full extent of the damage is currently being assessed by the military personnel and emergency responders.
(With inputs from Reuters)