12/19/2022 06:15 (act. 12/19/2022 06:20)
Darkness reigns in Kyiv ©APA/AFP
Several loud explosions were heard in Kyiv and the region around the Ukrainian capital early on Monday, witnesses told Portal news agency. Kyiv region governor Oleksiy Kuleba said there had been a drone strike. It was not immediately clear whether the explosions were anti-aircraft systems destroying the drones or impacts.
Ukraine says it has shot down nine Iranian Shahed drones in Kiev airspace. “There is still an air alert in Kyiv,” the military said on Telegram. “The enemy is attacking the capital with a ‘Shahed’ barrage. Air defenses are in place.”
According to Russian news agency Interfax, Russian armed forces will start tactical military exercises in Belarus. “The final assessment of the combat capability and combat readiness of the units is made by the command at the final stage of coordination – after conducting battalion tactical exercises,” Interfax reports, citing the Ministry of Defense of Russia. It was not immediately clear when and where the exercises will be held in Belarus. Belarus’ Ministry of Defense said in October that 9,000 Russian troops would be sent to the country as part of a “regional pool” of forces to protect the borders.