Attack drones bomb Kiev
Russia launched the largest drone strike it has ever targeted the Ukrainian capital Kiev before dawn on Saturday, sending wave after wave of explosive-laden drones towards a city home to more than three million people.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the attack consisted of “a record number” of drones for one-way attacks. At least five people were injured in Saturday’s attack, city officials said, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.
Searchlights streaked across the early morning sky as air defense teams hunted for the drones approaching the city from all directions. The first alarms sounded shortly after 2:30 a.m., and the rattle of anti-aircraft guns and powerful explosions echoed for hours, the noisiest night Kiev has endured in months. The distant glow of fires was visible from the city center.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the bombing “deliberate terror.” “The Russian leadership is proud of its ability to kill,” he said, noting that the attack came on the day Ukrainians pay tribute to the millions killed in the war. Holodomora famine orchestrated by Stalin.
At 7:15 a.m., the Ukrainian Air Force warned that a new wave of drones was approaching. With the sun up you could see them flying through the air and exploding in an orange burst.
The “all clear” signal was issued shortly before 9 a.m., more than six hours after the first alarm went off.
Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down or disabled 71 of an estimated 75 drones, most of which were aimed at the capital. The previously largest drone strike of the war targeted the capital, which took place in Mayinvolving about half the number of drones.
One missile was shot down over the Dnipro region, the air force said.
Russia has stepped up drone strikes in Ukraine in recent weeks as it investigates Ukrainian air defense systems, and Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow was testing a variety of new methods to avoid detection.
“The enemy is using electronic warfare, jammers, to deceive air defenses and make us respond to targets that don’t actually exist,” Yuri Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said this month.
Russia also uses methods such as unarmed drones that do not pose a serious threat, but must still be shot down.
The most commonly used drones in long-range attacks on targets throughout Ukraine are the Iranian-made Shaheds, which are designed to plunge into their targets and explode on contact. According to Ukrainian intelligence, they can travel a distance of more than 600 miles and carry a payload of 80 to 120 pounds.
According to Western and Ukrainian officials, Russia has been working to modify and upgrade the Iranian-made drones. Moscow is also increasing its domestic production of drones based on the Iranian design, with the aim of being able to produce them 6,000 by the summer of 2025, according to Western officials.
Ukrainian officials have braced for an increase in Russian attacks on infrastructure this winter, as they expect the Kremlin will again try to plunge the country into cold and darkness, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Saturday’s attack appeared to mainly involve drones, Ukrainian officials said. But they warned that Russia has previously used a combination of drones and missiles in complex attacks aimed at evading and overwhelming air defenses.
Ukrainian intelligence officials say the Kremlin has likely stockpiled more than 900 long-range ballistic and cruise missiles in recent months.
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“The Ukrainian air shield is already more powerful compared to last year,” Mr. Zelensky said. But it “does not yet fully protect the entire territory.”