'Massive’ Overnight Russian Drone Attack on Kyiv Injures at Least Four

At least four people have been wounded after Russia launched a third consecutive night of kamikaze drone strikes on Kyiv.

“Tonight, a massive attack by Iranian drones took place,” the capital’s military administration said on Telegram.

Iran-made Shahed explosive drones had “entered the capital from different directions,” it said, adding “about a dozen” had been downed in the city’s airspace.

Air raid sirens sounded in the capital just after midnight.

Kyiv Post reporters in the center of the city heard several drones passing overhead around 1:30 a.m., followed by a series of loud explosions as they were intercepted by air defenses.

During the attacks on the previous two nights, drones were intercepted before they reached the airspace over the city.

Debris from the destroyed drones was reported in five districts, damaging buildings, and injuring residents. Among the injured were a 19-year-old woman and 23-year-old man who were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.

At the site of one of the damaged buildings in Darnitskyi District, Anastasia told Kyiv Post: "It was very loud. The air defenses were working and trying to hit I think 3 drones.

Photo: Jay Shnell. 

"They hit one, and pieces of shrapnel hit the buildings. Three people were injured – two from one building and one from another.

Photo: Jay Shnell. 

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"The emergency services got to them and took them away very quickly."

Photo: Jay Shnell. 

Initially, it was reported that a man had died as a result of a fire caused by debris from a drone hitting his apartment. However, the State Emergency Service has clarified that the information about the deceased person was incorrect.

It was later reported a separate domestic fire had occurred at the same time as the drone strike. The State Emergency Service confirmed that the man died as a result of the domestic fire and it was not related to the enemy attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, said on Telegram: “In the Podilsky district, during the firefighting in an apartment building, a body of one dead person was discovered.”

In a previous post, he said emergency services were responding to calls in Solomyansky, Shevchenkivsky, Podilsky and Darnytsky districts following “explosions in the capital.”

Fires broke out in an apartment building in Shevchenkivsky district and in a non-residential building in the Podilsky district, he said, adding emergency services were on site.

A picture posted on the official Telegram by Kyiv’s military administration showed a room in a high-rise building with part of its wall blown out, in what it said was the result of falling debris in Darnytsky district.

Ukraine’s Air Force said on Thursday morning it had downed 20 Russian attack drones and two cruise missiles during the attack.

Spokesperson Yuriy Ignat, said: “We have a successful air defense operation. Twenty Shaheds were destroyed – all those flying were shot down.

“Two Kalibr cruise missiles were also destroyed.”

Ukraine's Air Force has warned that the threat of attacks by Russian drones on the city remains.