KYIV: Ukraine said Wednesday it had shot down multiple Iranian-made drones launched at the capital by Russian troops in their latest attack on Kyiv. The Kremlin meanwhile said there no would be no let up in fighting over Christmas and the New Year while Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to back a court to try Russian officials.
Explosions rang out over a central neighbourhood in Kyiv in the early hours and AFP journalists later saw law enforcement and emergency service workers inspecting metal fragments at a snow-covered impact site.
“The terrorists started this morning with 13 Shaheds,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, referring to the Iran-made weapons.
“All 13 were shot down” he added, urging residents to heed air raid sirens.
Kyiv has been subjected to nearly ten months of air raid sirens and frequent aerial attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and tried to capture the capital. But the attacks have increased up since October when Russia began systematically targeting critical infrastructure in Ukraine in attacks that have disrupted electricity, water and heat to millions in Ukraine.
Kyiv’s Western allies have been supplying Ukraine with more advanced air defence systems in response.
Ukrenergo, the national energy provider, said no energy infrastructure facilities were damaged in Wednesday’s drone attack, crediting Ukrainian air defences for their “brilliant” work.
US ambassador in Ukraine Bridget Brink said on social media that Kyiv could continue to rely on Washington’s backing and that “more support is on the way”.
“It’s obvious that these attacks have just one aim: to increase the suffering of civilian population,” said Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that explosions were heard in the central district of Shevchenkivsky and city officials said debris from the downed drones had damaged residential homes and an local administrative building.
No one was reported injured or killed.
Since a series of key battlefield setbacks this summer and autumn, Russia has been pummelling critical infrastructure across Ukraine with missiles and drones.
Moscow most recently targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure last week piling pressure on the country’s power grid, whose operators have for weeks been forced to implement rolling blackouts.
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said this week that between 40 and 50 percent of the country’s grid was out of action because of Russia’s strikes.
The latest round of attacks on Wednesday came one day after Zelensky issued urgent appeals to around 70 countries and international organisations at a Paris conference to help Ukraine withstand Russian attacks this winter.