Drone attack: Russia launched waves of air strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, in what officials said was the largest drone attack in the city. However, crowds poured into the streets later to celebrate the anniversary of Kyiv’s founding.
According to the Ukrainian military, it downed 58 of the 59 launched drones. Authorities described it as a record assault by Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said all 36 drones targeting Kyiv had been destroyed.
The pre-dawn attacks came on the last Sunday of May when the capital celebrates Kyiv Day, the anniversary of its official founding 1,541 years ago, news agency Reuters reported.
“This is how Russia celebrates the day of our ancient Kyiv,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
In what also appears to be the first deadly attack on Kyiv in May and the 14th assault this month, falling debris killed a 41-year-old man, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, while several other people were injured.
LOOMING COUNTER-OFFENSIVE
Drone attack: Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia had targeted military and critical infrastructure facilities in central Ukraine on Sunday, and the Kyiv region in particular – as has been increasingly the case with a Ukrainian counteroffensive looming.
