A series of explosions reverberated throughout the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday, with air defense units announcing their engagement with Russian drones on Saturday.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that air defense systems and mobile groups tasked with downing drones had successfully shot down 30 out of 31 Russian drones over 11 regions across the country.
Witnesses told Reuters that a series of blasts rang out across the Ukrainian capital as air defense units countered Russian drones.
Attacks and Explosions
The Ukrainian Air Force has said that the Russian military launched Iranian-made “Shahed” drones from three different directions in Russia, targeting 11 different areas in central, northern, and southern Ukraine.
In a statement on the Telegram app, the Air Force noted that fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile units, and mobile drone-downing groups repelled the Russian drone attack.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, indicated that Russian forces targeted areas close to the city center. He continued to say that there was intense anti-aircraft activity in the Darnytskyi district on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, and explosions were also heard in the historic Podil district on the opposite bank.
The pace of Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and regions has increased. Ukrainian officials claim that Russia is targeting the country’s electrical and energy infrastructure before and during the cold winter months, while Moscow denies these allegations.
