Ukraine war: Explosions in central Kyiv amid air raid warning
Officials in Ukraine claim that they downed more than a dozen drones in a Russian attack on Kyiv’s capital on Wednesday morning.
BBC reporters heard loud blasts just after the siren for an air raid siren sounded.
As air defenses shot down the drones, which were believed to have been Iranian-made Shahed drones, explosions rocked central Shevchenkivskyi.
Since October, Russia has repeatedly attacked the Ukrainian energy infrastructure with drones and missiles.
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Oleksiy Kuleba, the Kyiv Governor, accused Russia of “continuing his energy terror against our nation” through the latest wave drone attacks.
Ukrenergo, the manager of the national energy grid, said Wednesday’s strikes had not damaged any energy facilities. He also praised the “brilliant work” of the air defense forces in a Telegram post.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, stated that Ukrainian forces had destroyed 13 Shahed drones. This was equivalent to all Russian drones launched on Wednesday.
Governor Kuleba stated that a fragment of a drone had struck an administrative office and four residential buildings in the city. However, a spokesperson from the city’s emergency services stated that there had been no reports of any victims.
Svetlana, a witness to the BBC, stated that the first strike occurred at 06:30 GMT (04:30 GMT).
She said, “The sound was similar to a moped’s rumble,” “It fell behind houses, then there was an explosive roar and explosion.”
She said, “Winter is coming. How can people survive?” They don’t want us to live, Lord! They don’t let Ukrainians live.”
Anton, a Kyiv resident, said to the BBC that the falling glass caused by the explosions narrowly missed his children.
He said, “Let Putin die.” He said, “I didn’t do anything to him but he does this for me.”
After visiting Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths visited Kyiv. According to him, they were a reminder that Ukraine is still suffering from war across the country and not just at the frontlines.
As “electricity is the key to our lives”, Griffiths stated that Ukraine needed to restore its energy supply. “If you don’t have electricity, it’s hard to get warm, get treatment in the hospital, go to school, and you can’t use transport.
Ukraine accuses Iran of providing Russia with drones called “kamikaze”, which were used in the deadly attack on 17 October. Tehran initially denied this claim.
Later, Iran admitted to having sent Moscow drones for a few months before the war.
The President of Ukraine, Zelensky, responded that this was a fabrication and that more Iranian drones were being employed.
In what Ukraine claims is a demoralizing bid to demoralize its people, Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy grid over the past months. Although temperatures have dropped to below freezing in Ukraine, Martin Griffiths stated that there are no signs of a new wave of Ukrainians fleeing home or country.
While global leaders claim that strikes on civilian infrastructure constitute a war crime and have been condemned by the international community, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President, defended the attack saying they were in response on 8 October to a Russian bridge bombing the Crimea.
According to reports, the US is planning to arm Ukraine with its Patriot air defense system. According to senior defense officials, the announcement could be made as soon as Thursday according to Reuters.
This system is one of the most advanced in the world, and it is often in short supply. Its long-range capabilities allow it to shoot down Russian drones and missiles before they reach Ukrainian cities.
However, unlike Ukraine’s air defense systems, Patriot systems need large crews to operate and could take several months for Kyiv to train its forces to use them effectively.
Russia would view any attempt to arm Ukraine using Patriot defenses as an escalation. Last month, Dmitry Medvedev, former president and now deputy chairman of national security council, warned against such a move.
Ukraine claims that 64 Russian soldiers captured in fighting in the eastern Donbass region earlier this year have been released.
Andriy Yarmak, President Zelensky’s Head of Office, also stated that officials had secured the release for Suedi Murekezi, a US citizen.
Russian troops arrested Murekezi during their occupation of Kherson, the southern city in Kherson, in July. He had lived there for more than two decades.
In October, he was released from Russian custody. However, Moscow officials prevented him from leaving Donetsk because he didn’t have any identity papers.
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