Russia launches one of war’s largest drone attacks on Ukraine, Kyiv’s military says

KYIV: Russia launched several waves of drones on Kyiv in what was one of the war’s largest attacks of its kind targeting Ukraine, the military administration of the city said on Wednesday, keeping the Ukrainian capital under air raid alerts nearly all night.

Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed more than 30 drones by 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) on Wednesday in what was also Russia’s seventh attack on the city in July, Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said.

It was “one of the most massive attacks on Ukraine with attack drones during the entire war,” Popko said on the Telegram messaging app.

“At this moment, according to the operational report at this moment, there are no casualties or damage in Kyiv.”

The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Russian state news agencies reported, citing Russian fighters in Ukraine, that the attacks targeted several military airports and military warehouses across Ukraine.

Reuters could not independently verify the Russian reports.

Kyiv and most of central and eastern Ukraine were under air raid alerts from 2000 GMT on Tuesday.

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Air defence systems were engaged on approaches to Kyiv and in the region surrounding the capital several times during the night, Popko said. Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram the attack on the city came from several directions.

Reuters witnesses reported hearing blasts several times during the night in what sounded like air defence systems engaged in repelling an air attack.