The Ukrainian military shot down 13 Iranian-made drones over Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Wednesday as a series of explosions hit the capital in what authorities described as a continuation of Russia’s “energy terror” against the country.
Kyiv’s city administration said two of its administrative buildings had been damaged by the falling debris of a drone. There were no victims, the spokesperson for Kyiv’s rescue services, Svitlana Vodolaga, told Ukraine’s Suspline news.
The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, wrote in a post on Telegram that there were blasts in the central district of the capital, Shevchenkivskyi, home to many government agencies and buildings, and that 10 Iranian-made drones had been shot down. City authorities said an 11th drone was shot down shortly after 8am.
Vitaliy Bunenchenko, the head of Zhytomyr region, which neighbours Kyiv, has warned that there could be a second wave of drones on its way.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, posted a muscle emoji with the abbreviation for anti-aircraft systems, in reference to the work of Ukraine’s air defences.
The UK’s ambassador said she was “staying away from windows and hearing explosions outside”.
The air raid sirens sounded at shortly before 6am Kyiv time, and just over 10 minutes later the first explosions were reported. At about 6.30am residents in central Kyiv posted videos in which the sound of a drone flying overhead could be heard followed by an explosion. Residents also posted pictures of plumes of smoke on the capital’s horizon.
Ukraine has faced a barrage of Russian airstrikes across the country in recent weeks, largely targeting infrastructure.
US officials said on Tuesday that they were poised to approve the delivery of a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, agreeing to an urgent request from leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian missiles.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, pressed western leaders as recently as Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia. The Patriot would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the west has provided to Ukraine.
US officials claim Moscow has been looking to Iran to resupply the Russian military with drones and surface-to-surface missiles.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this story
Sources: The Guardian
