KYIV, UKRAINE – Explosions erupted before dawn on Monday in Kyiv, where the city government issued warnings to residents to take cover, as Russia launched a drone strike on the Ukrainian capital.
“The enemy is attacking the capital with a broadside ‘Shahed’”the Kyiv city government posted on the social messaging sitelTelegram, referring to the type of explosive drone Russia acquired from Iran and fired at Ukraine.
“The air defenses work.”
Russia has launched waves of missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian power plants, substations and transmission lines since October, in what military analysts say is an effort to plunge the country into darkness and cold as Winter approaches. ‘winter. .
In the last week, attacks seem to occur in the darkness, as Russian forces try to bypass Ukrainian defenses.
The Ukrainian military has used anti-aircraft missiles and fighter jets to shoot down drones.
During the night, the sound of fighter jets flying low over Kiev could be heard from fighter drones in the sky.
Residents have also posted on social media that they have heard of drones, which are powered by small engines that sound like chainsaws.
At least four loud explosions were heard, although it was unclear whether these were drones exploding when hitting targets or operational air defenses.
Ihor Novikov, former adviser to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyhe posted on Twitter that he saw drones flying over the country and that a building was hit.
“A residential building across the river was just hit by a drone,” he wrote.
“Attack in progress”.
The Kiev government said in its post that nine drones were shot down.
“Stay in shelters until the end of the air alert,” the city government warned. By 5 am, the authorities had lifted the air alert for all Ukrainian provinces except for Kiev and the surrounding region.
A few hours before the attack on the capital, Zelensky had asked the Western allies to provide Ukraine, in his late night video address, more weapons anti-aircraft defense.
“Dear partners! If you help us protect our skies, if you provide us with more modern air defense systems and in sufficient numbers, you can deprive the terrorist state of its main tool of terror.
This will be one of the most powerful steps that will bring the end of the aggression closer.”
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Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.