Russia unleashes air strikes
KYIV: Russia unleashed a major twowave overnight air attack on Kyiv that killed at least one person, officials said, as the Ukrainian capital was preparing to celebrate its birthday today.
Air defence systems downed at least 20 drones moving towards Kyiv, falling debris killing a 41yearold man and injuring a 35yearold woman in the city, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The predawn attacks came as the capital was preparing to celebrate Kyiv Day, the anniversary of its official founding 1541 years ago. The day is typically marked by street fairs, live concerts and special museum exhibitions — plans for which have been made this year too, but on a smaller scale.
‘‘The history of Ukraine is a longstanding irritant for the insecure Russians,’’ Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, said on his Telegram channel.
Several districts of Kyiv, by far the largest Ukrainian city with a population of about three million, suffered in the overnight attacks, officials said, including the historical Pecherskyi neighbourhood.
Reuters witnesses said that during the air raid alerts that started soon after midnight, many people stood on their balconies, some screaming invective directed at Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and ‘‘Glory to air defence’’ slogans.
With a Ukrainian counteroffensive looming 15 months into the war, Moscow has intensified missile and drone strikes this month after a lull of nearly two months, targeting military facilities and supplies. Waves of attacks now come several times a week.
In the Holosiivskyi district in the southwestern part of Kyiv, falling debris set a threestorey warehouse on fire, destroying about 1000sq m of building structures, Klitschko said.
A fire broke out after falling drone debris hit a sevenstorey nonresidential building in the Solomyanskyi district west of the city. The district is a busy rail and air transport hub.
In the Pecherskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a ninestorey building due to falling drone debris, Kyiv’s military administration officials said on Telegram. — Reuters