Military Administration of the City of Kyiv/Handout via Portal
A handout picture shows the aftermath of falling debris in Kiev, Ukraine, May 28.
CNN –
Russia launched the conflict’s largest-ever drone attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, killing one and setting fires across the city.
According to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Russia shot down 54 Iranian Shahed drones early Sunday – 52 of them were shot down.
But the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitshko, said a 41-year-old man died after the attacks, while falling drone debris at a gas station injured a 35-year-old woman.
Kiev has been attacked several times this month, yet fatalities are rare.
Falling drone debris also sparked fires in buildings across the capital, Klitshko said on Telegram.
After the bombing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Ukraine’s air defense “heroes”.
“You look up to destroy enemy missiles, planes, helicopters and drones. “Every time you shoot down enemy drones and missiles, lives are saved,” the president said.
In addition to trying to intimidate Kiev residents, Moscow may also be using the drone strikes to force Kiev to waste valuable ammunition shooting them down and to find out where the air defenses are located.
Shahed drones cost about 20 times less than a missile, making them a cheap way for Russia to inflict damage.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s capital celebrates Kiev Day, the anniversary of its official founding 1,541 years ago.
The attacks come amid rumors of an imminent Ukrainian counter-offensive aimed at retaking Russian-controlled areas.
Ukraine’s top general hinted that the campaign could begin soon, saying in a video: “The time has come to take back what is ours.”
Military Administration of the City of Kyiv/Handout via Portal
A handout picture shows the aftermath of falling debris on a building in Kiev, Ukraine, May 28.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian troops shelled the city of Nikopol with heavy artillery, said Serhii Lysak, head of the military administration of the Dnepropetrovsk region.
“The enemy again fired heavy artillery at the civilian population. The attacker shelled Nikopol twice during the night, damaging six private houses and two outbuildings,” Lysak wrote in a Telegram post.
According to Lysak, a gas and main power line were damaged in the attack, but no casualties were reported.