Volodymyr Zelensky’s base of operations has been targeted by what Kyiv claims was the biggest drone attack of the war in Ukraine.
City officials have said a fleet of Iranian-made kamikaze Shahed drones targeted the country’s capital – from where President Zelensky is currently coordinating the counteroffensive – in an overnight raid.
Explosions echoed across the city as the country’s armed forces attempted to intercept the aircraft.
According to local reports, Kyiv’s defences successfully fended off the vast majority of the drones.
But several people were injured, and multiple buildings suffered damage across multiple city districts.
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In a post on Telegram, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said nearly 75 drones were involved in the attack.
At least 40 of those were downed, a city administration official told local Ukrainian channel Suspilne.
Mr Klitschko said the surviving drones managed to inflict damage across several areas.
A warning sounded for locals, saying: “A large number of enemy UAVs are entering Kyiv from different directions! We urge you to stay in shelters until the alarm goes off!”
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Apartment blocks and a nursery were among those damaged in the overnight onslaught, he said, with an 11-year-old girl among those injured.
Ukrainian officials have estimated the attack was the largest since the war with Russia began in 2022.
In a post on Telegram, Ukraine’s Air Force said the attack involved a “record number” of drones.
The post read: “A total of nearly 75 Shahed drones were launched from two directions – Primorsko-Akhtarsk and the Kursk region, Russia.”
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The post added: “The primary target was the city of Kyiv.”
It continued: “Anti-aircraft missile troops, tactical aviation, mobile fire groups, and electronic warfare units were involved in repelling the air attack.”
Kyiv’s military administration issued a warning for the capital’s residents ahead of the attacks, telling them to find shelter until the drones were repelled.
The attack was the fourth of its kind this month, officials have said, and left 77 residential buildings and 120 establishments without power after debris hit an overhead line.
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