Coinciding with Kyiv's preparations for the yearly commemoration of its founding, Russia launched the largest drone strike of the war so far against the city overnight.
Officials from Ukraine's military, however, claim that almost all of the planes were shot down.
New Massive Drone Attack by Russia
Even though Ukraine's air force claimed to have shot down 52 of the 54 Shahed drones that had been fired in waves against the city, one man was killed, and two others were wounded due to falling debris. Moreover, the roof of a shopping center was set on fire.
According to The Guardian, it seemed like the assault was coming from the north and south at rather low heights. A representative from Operational Command South said that the Russians appeared to be looking for methods to get through the increasingly effective air defenses of the Ukrainian government.
The spokesperson informed reporters that the enemy traditionally used the eastern coast of the Azov Sea to attack but that the planes' trajectories were somewhat unconventional. As far as possible, they made an effort to avoid the Southern air defenses. Reportedly, most of them spread out throughout Ukraine after flying over the regions now under control.
She also noted that the Shahed gangs tend to congregate near riverbeds in an effort to conceal their movements. "We continue to study new approaches in tactics to be as effective as possible," the representative said.
Celebration of Kyiv's Foundation
There were street festivals and live performances planned for Kyiv Day, the annual commemoration of the city's establishment 1,541 years ago. However, the drone assaults happened early in the morning.
Andriy Yermak, the director of Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, remarked on his Telegram channel, "The history of Ukraine is a longstanding irritant for the insecure Russians."
City military chief Serhiy Popko made the following statement on the Telegram messaging app: "Today, the enemy decided to 'congratulate' the people of Kyiv on Kyiv Day with the help of their deadly UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) ... The attack was carried out in several waves, and the air alert lasted more than five hours."
Those who had become used to the Russian air strikes would stand on their balconies and yell anti-Vladimir Putin and anti-Russian sentiments in support of the Ukrainian air force.
As Ukraine ramps up its defensive preparations, BBC said Russia had increased the frequency of its assaults on Kyiv and other cities. Meanwhile, military analysts believe that one reason Russia is launching so many airstrikes is that it may use inexpensive Iranian drones to wipe out Ukraine's air defenses.
