[1/5]A drone explosion is seen in the sky above the city during a Russian drone strike, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, September 10, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Jaranich Obtaining licensing rights
KYIV (Reuters) – Russia launched nearly three dozen drones into Kiev early on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said, with explosions ringing out across the Ukrainian capital and surrounding area for about two hours and debris falling in several neighborhoods of the city.
The night sky was lit up by the sound of explosions fired by air defenses, which clashed with targets, and explosions were heard throughout the city. At least one column of smoke was seen rising from between the buildings.
Lyudmila, a Kiev resident, said she heard the buzzing of Iranian-made drones before the blast wave shattered the windows in her building and the jars on her windowsill. “It was a very scary experience, I can’t even put it into words.”
The state emergency service said that debris fell in three different areas, but there was no serious damage. Officials in Kiev also said four people were injured.
Regional Governor Ruslan Kravchenko wrote on Facebook that an unspecified infrastructure facility and eight homes were damaged by the overnight strikes.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the army destroyed 26 out of 33 drones launched by Russia, all of which targeted Kiev and the surrounding area.
There was no immediate comment from Russia regarding the attacks. Moscow launches regular air strikes on Ukrainian population centers far from the eastern and southern front lines of its 18-month-old invasion.
A Russian attack killed 17 people on Wednesday in the eastern city of Kostyantinivka, Ukrainian officials said.
(Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Gleb Jaranjic and Ivan Ljubish Kirdy in Kiev, Lydia Kelly in Melbourne and Ellen Monaghan in Washington; Preparing by Mohammed for the Arabic Bulletin; Preparing by Mohammed for the Arabic Bulletin) Editing by Mark Heinrich and Giles Elgood
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