Ukraine Forces Shoot Down Drones As Kyiv Hit By Multiple Explosions – The Ukrainian military shot down 13 Iranian-made drones early Wednesday morning above Kyiv and the surrounding area, as a series of explosions rocked the capital in what authorities termed as a continuation of Russia’s “energy terror” against the country. The city administration of Kyiv said that two of its administrative buildings were damaged by falling drone debris. Svitlana Vodolaga, a representative for Kyiv’s rescue services, told Ukraine’s Suspline news that there were no casualties.
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. “Russia continues the energy terror of the country. But we are getting stronger every day,” wrote the head of Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, on Telegram. Kuleba warned that the air raid alert had not come to an end and advised residents to remain in shelters.
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Vitaliy Bunenchenko, the head of the neighboring Zhytomyr region, has warned that a second wave of drones may soon arrive. The chief of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, posted an emoji of a muscle with the abbreviation for anti-aircraft systems in reference to the operation 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 immediately before 6am Kyiv time, and the first explosions were reported just over 10 minutes later. At approximately 6.30 a.m., residents in central Kyiv uploaded footage featuring the sound of a drone flying overhead, followed by an explosion. Residents also tweeted images of smoke clouds on the horizon of the capital city. In recent weeks, Russia has bombarded the whole of Ukraine with airstrikes, primarily targeting infrastructure.
US officials announced on Tuesday that they were on the verge of approving the supply of a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, in response to an urgent request by Ukrainian leaders anxious for more powerful weapons to intercept incoming Russian missiles. On Monday, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, pushed western leaders to assist his country with more advanced weapons to aid in its conflict 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.
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