Air raid sirens have sounded across Ukraine after Russia launched a fresh wave drone strikes on cities around the country.
Explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, where the city’s mayor said five people had been injured by falling debris from downed drones. Blasts also hit the western city of Odesa, officials said.
It marks the fourth attack in eight days on Kyiv, and comes just 24 hours before Russia celebrates Victory Day.
The annual holiday commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War Two, a conflict the Kremlin has baselessly tried to draw parallels to since launching its invasion of Ukraine last year.
After a lull in Russian attacks on civilian targets in recent months, which saw Kyiv go days without an attack, Moscow has intensified its air raids over the past week ahead of an expected Ukrainian offensive in the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region.
The Ukrainian military said Monday morning’s raids – which lasted for more than four hours and were launched shortly after midnight – saw Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones swarm across the country. Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 60 drones had been launched, adding that 36 had been destroyed over Kyiv alone overnight, in the largest Russian attack in months. The BBC has not been able to verify these numbers.
Credit: bbc.com
