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Russian forces fired lone drones and swarms of drones that
entered Ukrainian airspace from various directions and at a
variety of altitudes, officials said, in an apparent attempt to
stretch air defense systems and unnerve city residents.
Ukrainian air defenses “neutralized” three dozen drones, but
falling debris caused damage to a hospital and residential and
office buildings in the capital, local authorities said,
including a blaze on the 33rd floor of an apartment building.
At least two people were reported injured.
Drone attacks on Kyiv have recently been occurring almost daily,
with the nighttime explosions and the continuous buzzing sound
of drones keeping the city on edge. Russia is deploying about 10
times more Iranian-made Shahed drones than it was this time last
year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this
week.
Ukraine’s forces are struggling to match the might of Russia’s
military, which is much bigger and better equipped. Western
support is crucial for Ukraine to sustain the costly war of
attrition. The uncertainty over how long that aid will continue
has deepened, however, with the election of Donald Trump as the
next president of the United States. He has repeatedly taken
issue with U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Russia, meanwhile, is trying to grind down Ukraine’s appetite
for the fight and sap the West’s support for Kyiv by drawing out
the conflict.
The Russian barrages mostly involve Shahed drones. They are
suited to terrorizing civilians, according to Andrii Kovalenko,
head of the state Center for Countering Disinformation.
Russia is aiming to save and stockpile its missiles, which are
much more powerful than drones, Kovalenko claimed Thursday.
Russia has used missiles effectively in its campaign to knock
out Ukraine’s power grid.
Also, the drone attacks gradually wear down Ukraine’s air
defenses, making it more vulnerable to future missile launches.
Power outages were reported in the Zhytomyr region, which
borders Kyiv to the west, following a Russian attack there,
according to the energy company Zhytomyroblenergo.
Another Russian drone attack injured one person in the southern
city of Odesa, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said, as drone debris
damaged an 11-story residential building.
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