Overnight drone attack in Kyiv by Russia, first in 12 days

Kyiv: Ukrainian officials said that Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, was targeted in an overnight drone attack by Russia, breaking a 12-day hiatus.

The air defence forces successfully destroyed all enemy targets, said the city military administration. Sergiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv city military administration, took to social media to announce the attack. He wrote, "Another enemy air attack on Kyiv," emphasising that it was the first drone attack on the Ukrainian capital in 12 days. Popko added, "All enemy targets in the airspace around Kyiv were detected and destroyed."

The Ukrainian air force also released a statement confirming the incident. It revealed that three cruise missiles and eight Iranian-made attack drones deployed by Moscow's forces were shot down overnight. The air force provided details of the launches, stating, "Eight Shaheds were launched from the southeast, and three Kalibr missiles were launched from the Black Sea."

However, the air force did not provide specific information regarding the attacks on Kyiv itself. A source familiar with the situation informed AFP that no missiles were shot down over Kyiv during the overnight incident.

Ruslan Kravchenko, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, reported that three houses in the Kyiv region were damaged by falling debris. One individual sustained a leg injury as a result.

In recent months, Ukraine has actively sought increased air defence capabilities from Western allies in order to better counter Russian cruise missiles and drones. Despite Kyiv experiencing relatively fewer attacks earlier this year, May saw a surge in nightly aerial raids.