The attack targeted various districts of Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday, continuing in waves as the sun rose, and the air raid warning persisted for six hours.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that over 70 Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones were launched at Ukraine, and while most were successfully downed, not all of them were intercepted.
The Ukrainian air force later confirmed the downing of 71 Shahed drones and one missile.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko, communicating on the Telegram app, stated that the attack resulted in injuries to five people, including an 11-year-old girl, and caused damage to buildings across the city. Fragments from a downed drone ignited a fire in a children's nursery.
Zelensky emphasized the significance of the timing of the attack, occurring on the day when Ukrainians commemorate their worst national tragedy—the 1932-33 Holodomor famine, during which several million people perished.
Condemning the act as "willful terror," Zelensky accused the Russian leadership of taking pride in their ability to cause harm.
(ał)
Source: Reuters