Russia launched a deadly barrage of “kamikaze” drones at Kyiv on Monday, torching homes as soldiers fired into the air.
The drones, which were carrying explosives and emitting a distinctive buzz, terrorized Kyiv just a week after Kremlin forces launched a deadly assault on civilian and infrastructure targets across the country.
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Ukraine claimed that Iranian-made drones were used in the attacks, which it has accused Moscow of using more frequently as it runs out of precision missiles. Ukraine also renewed its request to its Western allies for aerial defensive assistance.
In the wake of a string of battlefield setbacks that have weakened his military’s hold on the territory Moscow claims to have annexed as well as the Kremlin’s hold over the mood at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified his attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said “kamikaze” drones caused five explosions that rocked the city in the early morning hours Monday. One of them hit a residential building in the central Shevchenkivskyi district, he said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said four people — including a young family expecting a child — were killed in the attack, but he noted that search and rescue operations were still underway. Infrastructure, housing and civilians appeared to be the target, he added.
“Terror must lose and will lose,” Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel. “And Ukraine will prevail and will bring to justice every Russian terrorist — from commanders to privates who carried out criminal orders.”
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said 19 people were rescued from the building, and the rescue operation was ongoing.
