Ukraine downs dozens of drones over Kyiv in Russian air assault
Russia is intensifying strikes that seek to degrade Ukraine’s air defences ahead of an expected offensive by Kyiv.
Ukraine said Monday that it shot down more than two dozen drones above Kyiv overnight, as Russia intensifies strikes that seek to degrade its rival’s air defences ahead of an expected offensive by Kyiv.
The strikes come after a recent spate of attacks on Russian soil culminating in a drone attack on the Kremlin last week that Moscow blamed on Kyiv. Ukraine has denied involvement.
“The enemy is increasing the density of air attacks on Kyiv,” said the head of the city’s military administration, Serhiy Popko. Falling debris wounded six people and damaged vehicles and buildings, Mr Popko said, adding it was the fourth attack on the capital this month. The drones were Iranian-made, he said.
Inspecting a damaged high-rise building in the Sviatoshyn district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 36 drones had been shot down, describing it as one of the biggest such attacks of the war.
Ukraine’s air force said it downed 35 drones – all launched from Russia’s southern Bryansk region. The reason for the discrepancy between the number of downed drones reported by the Kyiv mayor and the figure given by the air force wasn’t clear.
Moscow threatened retaliation after two drones crashed into the Kremlin on Wednesday, in an embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin as the country prepared to mark the Soviet army’s victory over Nazi Germany.
Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union at that time, has in the past marked the occasion on May 9 along with Russia, but the war has prompted Kyiv to take a fresh look at its history. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday submitted a bill to parliament to change Victory Day to May 8, in the latest move to underline the country’s difference to Russia.
Both countries have drawn parallels between their role in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the war that has been raging since Mr Putin invaded Ukraine more than one year ago.
“Remembering the heroism of millions of Ukrainians in that war against Nazism, we see the same heroism in the actions of our soldiers now,” Mr Zelensky said on Monday. “We will not allow the joint victory of the nations of the anti-Hitler coalition to be appropriated. We destroyed evil together! In the same way as we are now opposing a similar evil together.” The change of date would also bring Ukraine in line with Europe, which marks the end of World War II on May 8.
In Brussels, the European Union said that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Kyiv on Tuesday to celebrate Europe Day with Mr Zelensky.
A spokesman for Ms. von der Leyen said she would “reaffirm the EU’s unwavering support” for Ukraine. Later this week, Ms. von der Leyen will also accept on behalf of Mr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, one of Europe’s most prestigious awards aimed at celebrating service toward European unification.
Russia also fired eight missiles at the southern Odessa region overnight, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said. One of the missiles struck a storage depot, killing a security guard whose body was pulled out from the rubble, local officials said. The Ukrainian Red Cross said a warehouse containing humanitarian supplies had been completely destroyed. Other missiles failed to reach their target or disintegrated, Mr Ihnat said.
The frequency of Russian missile strikes had decreased in recent months after Moscow waged a campaign to destroy Ukraine’s electricity system over the winter that expended several hundred cruise missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones.
While the effort failed, the barrages severely reduced Ukraine’s air-defence ammunition stocks. The extent of the problem was laid bare in purported Pentagon presentations leaked on social media, which predicted Russia could achieve its long-sought goal of air superiority in Ukrainian skies as early as May, potentially jeopardising Ukraine’s planned offensive.
The latest uptick in Russian strikes follows a spate of drone attacks on Russian soil targeting mainly logistical infrastructure such as railways and fuel depots. Kyiv hasn’t claimed responsibility for the attacks but many experts see them as part of the preparations for a coming Ukrainian offensive, using forces trained and equipped by Ukraine’s Western allies.
Russian-installed officials ordered civilians in some occupied territories near the front line with Ukrainian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region to evacuate, apparently bracing for an incursion. The city of Enerhodar, next to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, is among the communities being evacuated.
Yevgeniy Balitsky, the Russian-installed head of occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, said the evacuation was needed to “strengthen security” amid an uptick in Ukrainian attacks there. While the exact timing and aim of Ukraine’s offensive is closely guarded, Zaporizhzhia is seen as a likely target.
Russian officials also ordered civilians to evacuate from Kherson before withdrawing from the city last year.
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