KYIV: Ukraine said Saturday it was struck overnight by a volley of explosive drones, some of which reached the relatively peaceful Lviv region in the war-battered nation’s west.
Russia regularly pounds Ukraine with missiles, artillery and drones, often prompting painful power cuts that have blocked people from warming their homes or getting drinking water.
“Around 21:00 on March 17, 2023, the Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made kamikaze attack drones of the Shahed-136/131 type,” Ukraine’s air force said in a statement on Telegram.
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It added that 11 out of 16 drones were “destroyed”.
According to the air force, the attack was launched from the Sea of Azov and from Russia’s Bryansk region that borders Ukraine.
Some of the drones targeted the western Lviv region.
“Around 1:00 am our region was attacked by kamikaze drones of the Shahed 136 type. According to preliminary information there were six of them,” regional governor Maksym Kozytski said.
He added that three were shot down, while three other drones “hit non-residential premises” in the Yavoriv district, causing damage but no victims.
In the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, three drones were shot down by air defence, regional council head Mykola Lukashuk said.
“Two others hit a critical infrastructure facility in Novomoskovsk,” Lukashuk added.
He said the attack caused a fire and “significant” damage.
According to Lukashuk, the fire destroyed four houses and damaged six others. Nobody was injured.
Drones also targeted the capital Kyiv, according to the city’s administration.
“Our air defence forces destroyed all air targets,” it said on social media, adding that there were no victims or damage.
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