Russian Drones Attack Kyiv for Second Straight Night, 15 Downed by Air Defenses

Kyiv has been attacked by Russian kamikaze drones for the second night in a row with 15 downed on their approach to the Ukrainian capital, city authorities said.

Sergiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said Moscow had used a barrage of Iranian-made Shahed drones, in an onslaught that lasted three hours.

Preliminary reports suggest there were no casualties or damage caused. 

Later on Thursday morning the press service of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed 15 drones were launched and destroyed.

“At night on August 3, 2023, the enemy attacked from the north (Bryansk region) with UAVs 'Shahed-136/131’.

“A total of 15 Shaheds were launched. The forces and means of the Air Force in cooperation with the Air Defense and other components of the Defense Forces destroyed all enemy UAVs.”

The city’s military administration had earlier issued an alert for air attacks and warned residents to stay in shelters.

“It became the 820th (air alert) for Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion,” Popko said.

The strike was repelled a day after another “massive” overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital, Popko said.

More than 10 Shahed drones were downed over Kyiv on Wednesday, with debris hitting several districts including the busy Solomyansky district, home to an international airport.

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Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv believed 11,000 North Korean troops had reached the Kursk border region in Russia, with the West repeatedly warning they could be sent into combat within days.

Also on Wednesday, Russian drones struck grain facilities in the port of Izmail which sits just across the Danube River from Romania, damaging silos, warehouses and administrative buildings.

Izmail is now the main export route for Ukrainian agricultural products via Romania, following Russia’s withdrawal last month from the Black Sea grain agreement.

On Wednesday, France accused the Kremlin of deliberately putting global food security at risk after the attack destroyed almost 40,000 tons of grain.