One killed, four injured as barrage of Russian drones hits Ukraine’s Kyiv

Ukraine says its air defences shot down 60 out of 93 Russian drones as Moscow escalates its aerial attacks.

Relatives and friends mourn beside the coffin of a late Ukrainian serviceman during his funeral ceremony in Kyiv [File: Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP]Published On 3 Jan 20253 Jan 2025

One person has been killed and four others were injured when Russian drones targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, military and civilian officials said, as Russia launched barrages across the country.

The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defences shot down 60 out of 93 Russian drones launched at Ukraine since the early hours of Friday.

Moscow’s forces have escalated aerial attacks across Ukraine in recent days, including a New Year’s Day drone attack targeting central Kyiv that killed two people.

In the latest barrage, a truck driver was killed by drone debris, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, acting governor for the Kyiv region.

He said the debris also damaged several houses, injuring four people, including a 16-year-old boy.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that 26 other drones were “lost”, in reference to Ukraine’s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones.

In all, Russian drones targeted nine regions across the country including Kyiv, officials said.

Residential houses and commercial buildings were also damaged in the Donetsk region in the east and the Chernihiv region in the north, the military added.

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On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said it had carried out a high-precision strike on a Russian command post in Maryino, in the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukrainian forces still hold territory after a major incursion in August.

The Russian military said air defence units had downed four Ukrainian missiles in the region, and the regional governor said the attacks damaged a high-rise apartment block and other buildings in an adjacent village.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies