Ukraine says it foiled 'biggest drone attack' on Kiev since war

In the 14th wave of air raids on Kiev in a month, the capital of Ukraine of three million inhabitants. A five-hour rain of drone fire rained down on the capital last night, killing at least two people. According to Kiev, it was "the largest drone attack since the beginning of the invasion" of Russia.

A rescuer works at a tobacco production site after the series of Russian drone attacks in Kiev, May 28, 2023. © Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Text by: RFI Follow

Advertising

Read more

The sirens went off shortly after midnight: the air force counted 54 explosive drones launched from Russia, a record number. This would be the largest drone attack since the beginning of the war.

The military authorities say they shot down 52 of these deadly devices, the main target of these air raids was the capital: among the 52 shot down, 40 drones were destroyed in the sky over Kiev. According to them, Russia was targeting "military installations and critical infrastructure in the central regions of the country, especially in the Kiev region".

But the "debris fell on a seven-story building," according to the regional administration, killing one person and injuring another. In the Solomyanskyi district, remnants of drones exploded in flight fell on a gas station - a 41-year-old man died, a woman was hospitalized, announced the mayor of the city Vitaly Klitschko.

Elsewhere in the capital, the air raids sparked large fires in an area of warehouses, spreading flames over 1,000 m2 and injuring one person at the scene, according to the regional administration.

The date of this major attack may not have been chosen at random: Kiev today celebrates the founding of the city 1,541 years ago. The head of the city's military administration quipped on social media: "Today, the enemy decided to congratulate the residents on Kiev Day.

This Russian offensive on Kiev also comes after the green light from the United States for deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced this "unacceptable escalation" measure on Sunday (May 28th): "This is playing with fire. There is no doubt about that," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state television, an excerpt of which was published on the journalist's social networks.

>> READ ALSO: Armed incursions into Russia: "Those who pass through our structure are not necessarily ultra-right"

Russia's heart targeted by drones, Kiev denies involvement

The drone war continues to rage between Ukraine and Russia, the use of these small remotely piloted devices in conflict zones having exploded on the Ukrainian front. Russian territory has also been targeted in recent weeks by a series of such attacks in addition to sabotage, just as Kiev says it is finalizing its preparations before launching an assault aimed at reconquering all the territories occupied by Moscow.

The most spectacular attack was on May 3, when two drones were shot down over the Kremlin in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin's official residence and occasional workplace. Moscow had accused Kiev, which had denied any involvement. In addition to this incident in the heart of the Russian capital, it is usually the regions bordering Ukraine that are targeted, where the Russian army partially supplies its troops upstream of Ukrainian soil.

But these drones can also strike several hundred kilometers inside Russian territory. On Saturday, two drones damaged a building from which an oil pipeline is administered in Russia's western Pskov region, Governor Mikhail Vedernikov said.

While Moscow has relentlessly accused Kiev – and its Western backers – of being behind the attacks, Ukraine generally denies any involvement.

>> Read also: Ukraine: "A drone worth 100 euros can destroy a tank at 8 million"

(

With AFP)

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

• Ukraine
• Russia
• Defense