Ukraine conflict: Kyiv thwarts significant Russian drone attack, officials claim

Russian drones struck Kyiv early on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, and debris fell in many areas, but no injuries were recorded.

The capital experienced at least ten explosions, and air raid sirens warned locals to seek shelter. The all-clear sound then came.

Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv Military Administration, claimed that a residential structure had caught fire due to debris, but that it had since been put out.

Previously, drones have also struck Kiev.

The impacted neighbourhoods, which are all in or close to the city centre, were identified by the city officials as Podilskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi on Sunday. Most Russian drones and missiles that threaten the city are successfully shot down by Kyiv’s air defence system.

About 20 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones, according to Mr. Popko, were shot down on Sunday. He claimed that they had flown over Kiev in groups from different directions.

According to him, the majority of the debris fell on open space, although some of it damaged automobiles and trolleybus cables.

In the meantime, Russia claims to have shot down eight drones that Ukraine had launched over the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula, which it has controlled since 2014. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is another name for drones.

Drones purportedly from Ukraine have recently struck aircraft at a military airbase in Pskov and have previously flown deeply into Russia, including to the Moscow region. However, Ukrainian officials typically don’t confirm or deny their participation in such raids.

The Russian defence ministry also claims that three Ukrainian military speedboats that were travelling towards Crimea were sunk by Russian naval jets. According to the report, marine-carrying US-made boats were struck northeast of Snake Island.

The claim, which was made just days after Russia claimed to have sunk four Ukrainian speedboats off the coast of Crimea, has not been confirmed by the BBC.

Rustem Umerov, the new defence minister of Ukraine, had encouraged Western partners to maintain their path and keep supplying weaponry in order to win the conflict.

“We appreciate all the help that was given… We require more powerful weaponry, he declared. “We require them now. They are presently necessary.

He pleaded for support, saying that “Ukrainian warriors today are sacrificing their lives for the fundamental principles of democracy and freedom,” and that “they need support from your side.”