Russian drone strikes trigger destruction in Kyiv

Russian drone strikes overnight caused destruction in Kyiv on Sunday, but officials reported no injuries as debris fell across various parts of the city.

According to the capital’s military administration, the attack damaged buildings, roads, and several power lines.

Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app that falling drone debris damaged the entrance and windows of at least five buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi and Holosiivskyi districts, including a hostel.

The military administration posted several photos on Telegram showing a blown entrance to one building, damaged windows in another, and power lines in the street.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 96 attack drones and one X-59/69 missile at Ukraine. Air defense forces confirmed the downing of the rocket and 66 drones in several Ukrainian regions.

Ukraine: Bucha’s female defenders

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Ukraine ‘holds back’ powerful Russian offensive

The air attack came as the Ukrainian military said it held back one of Russia’s strongest offensives since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

“Ukrainian forces are stopping one of the most powerful Russian offensives from launching a full-scale invasion,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday.

Russian troops advanced in September at their fastest pace since March 2022, the month after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion, according to open-source data. On Saturday, Moscow announced that it had captured two more settlements along the Donbas front line.

Ukraine is bracing for what could be the harshest winter of the war after long-range Russian airstrikes destroyed what officials say is about half its power generation capacity.

dh/lo (dpa, Reuters)