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Ukraine repels Russian drone attack on Kyiv: officials

25.05.2023 11:00
Ukraine’s air defences have fought off a series of Russian drone strikes on Kyiv overnight, in what officials said was the 12th such massive attack on the Ukrainian capital this month.
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The air raid took place in the early hours of Thursday and lasted over three hours, The Kyiv Independent website reported.

Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said “the attack was massive,” using Iranian-made Shahed drones, Britain’s The Guardian newspaper reported.   

Popko added in a statement on the Telegram messaging app: “The enemy continues to use attack tactics in several waves, with intervals between groups of attacking drones.”

The official announced that “all detected air targets moving in the direction of Kyiv were destroyed” by Ukrainian air defence systems, according to The Guardian.

An air raid alert was activated in most of Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday, including the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, as well as the country's western provinces, according to officials.

Earlier, Russian forces shelled five communities in the northeastern Sumy region, firing more than 84 rounds from various types of artillery weapons, The Kyiv Independent reported. 

Ukrainian air defence shoots down all 36 drones launched by Russia: officials

At night, Ukraine’s air defence forces destroyed all 36 Shahed drones launched by Russia, Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne reported.

Meanwhile, the Russian military struck Tsyrkuny in the northeastern Kharkiv region overnight, according to Suspilne. 

A S-300 missile hit the ground, damaging a private house, but there were no injuries, officials said.

The Ukrainian state broadcaster also reported that in the western Chernivtsi region, two power lines were damaged by falling drone debris, cutting off part of the Dnipro district. 

Three residential buildings were also damaged, according to officials.

On Wednesday, the Russian army shelled the southern Kherson region 83 times, injuring four people, The Guardian reported.

Russia’s Wagner forces withdrawing from Bakhmut?

Russia's Wagner mercenary group has started withdrawing its forces from Ukraine’s eastern city of Bakhmut and transferring its positions there to regular Russian troops, according to Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Reuters news agency reported.

Prigozhin said in a video published on Thursday: "We are withdrawing the units from Bakhmut. From today at five in the morning, May 25 until June 1, most of the units will rebase to camps in the rear. We are handing our positions to the military."

Prigozhin on Saturday announced the capture of Bakhmut, following the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.

In the latest video, Prigozhin, who has repeatedly voiced public criticism of senior Russian defence officials, said his forces could return to Bakhmut if the regular army is unable to manage the situation, the Reuters news agency reported.

Thursday is day 456 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: The Kyiv Independent, The Guardian, Reuters, PAP