Ukraine says it repelled the biggest Russian drone attack on kyiv of the entire war

Ukraine said Sunday it had repulsed overnight the “most significant” drone attack launched by Russia against the capital city of Kiev since the start of the Russian invasion, which left at least two dead and three injured in the capital.

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“In total, a record number of explosive drones launched was recorded: 54!” The Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram, claiming to have “destroyed 52”. Of the total, about 40 were dropped on kyiv, he said.

“This is the largest drone strike against the capital since the start of the invasion” 15 months ago, the Kiev provincial military administration said on Telegram.

The military authority of the northern province specified that the attack “developed in several waves, and the air alert lasted more than 5 hours.”

“According to preliminary data, more than 40 Russian drones were destroyed by anti-aircraft defense” over kyiv, he added.

According to the authorities, the attacks left at least two dead and three injured in the Ukrainian capital.

According to the regional administration, “after the destruction of the Russian drones,” the “remains fell into a seven-story building” in the Golosivsky neighborhood, killing one person and injuring another.

A fire also broke out in a warehouse area, spreading the flames over 1,000 m2, which injured one man, according to the same source.

In the Solomianski neighborhood, a 41-year-old man died and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized, according to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

The official described this new attack as “massive” with drones against kyiv “from several directions at once”, reported the AFP news agency.

“Today, the enemy has decided to ‘congratulate’ the inhabitants (of the capital) on Kiev Day with the help of his killer drones,” the regional authorities quipped, mentioning the holiday that the city celebrates today.

It was the 14th Russian drone strike in kyiv since early May, according to authorities, an unprecedented scale. The capital had been relatively spared from attacks earlier in the year.

The use of remotely piloted drones in the conflict zone is becoming more common on the Ukrainian front.

In last night’s attack, a total of 54 explosive drones were launched “from the Briansk and Krasnodar (Russian) regions,” according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which celebrated having intercepted 52 of them.

According to that source, Russia was targeting “military installations and strategic infrastructures in the central regions of the country, in particular in the kyiv region.”

In recent weeks, Russian territory has also been the target of a series of such attacks, as well as sabotage, as Kiev says it is finalizing its preparations to launch a counter-offensive and retake all the territories occupied by Moscow, including the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The most spectacular attack occurred on May 3, when two drones were shot down over the Kremlin in Moscow, the official residence and occasional workplace of President Vladimir Putin. Russia accused Ukraine, which denied involvement.

In addition to this incident in the heart of the Russian capital, it is generally the regions bordering Ukraine that are being attacked, where the Russian army partly supplies its troops.

But these drones can also strike hundreds of kilometers inside Russian territory.

On Saturday, without going any further, two drones damaged a building from which an oil pipeline is managed in the Pskov region of western Russia, according to Governor Mikhail Vedernikov.

Baza, a Russian media outlet with sources in the secret services, also reported a drone attack on another oil station in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow.

In a statement, the regional government limited itself to referring to the “fall of a drone”, which caused no casualties.

Russia accuses Kiev – and its Western allies – of being behind these attacks, and Ukraine denies any involvement.