Russia launched several drones targeting Kiev on Monday morning, and air defense units successfully defended the city during an attack that lasted more than five hours, Ukraine’s military said.
Witnesses heard a number of explosions in the Ukrainian capital, in what sounded like anti-aircraft defense systems in action, and saw objects being hit in the air.
All drones launched by Russia at Kiev were either destroyed by defense systems or neutralized by electronic warfare, Sergej Popko, commander of the Kiev military administration, said on the Telegram messaging application.
According to preliminary information, there are no victims and no damage has been reported, he added. The mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko announced that the fragments of the drone fell on a residential building, and emergency services are working on the spot.
Ukraine’s air force said Monday it shot down 67 of 73 drones and one of three missiles launched by Russia during the attack.
Governor Ruslan Kravchenko reported that there was no damage to key or residential infrastructure in the region surrounding the capital. He said the attack caused fires in five districts in the region, but there were no casualties.
Mykolayiv Governor Vitaly Kim said the attack caused a fire at a key infrastructure facility in the southern region.
Russia launched multiple airstrikes against Kiev and Ukraine during September, targeting Ukraine’s energy, military and transport infrastructure in attacks that killed dozens of civilians.
Russia denies targeting civilians in a full-scale invasion it called a “special military operation” when it was launched in February 2022, Reuters reports.
