Rescuers and police experts examine remains of a drone following a strike on an administrative building in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 14, 2022. /CFP
Rescuers and police experts examine remains of a drone following a strike on an administrative building in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 14, 2022. /CFP
Explosions were heard in a central neighborhood of Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Wednesday, mayor Vitali Klitschko said, following what appears to have been a drone attack.
"Explosions in the Shevchenkivsky district of the capital. (Emergency) services are on their way," Klitschko said on social media on Wednesday morning.
He added that air defenses had shot down 10 "Shahed drones" over Kyiv and the nearby region, referring to Iranian-made kamikaze drones that Moscow has been accused of deploying against Ukraine targets.
Drone debris damaged two administrative buildings in the Shevchenkivsky district, the capital's military administration said.
There was no immediate report of casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a brief video statement, said the "terrorists" fired 13 Iranian-made drones, and all were intercepted. Such drones have been part of Russia's firepower along with mortar, artillery and rocket strikes across Ukraine in recent weeks.
The Russian side has not made any comments yet.
Civilians take shelter inside a metro station during an air raid alert in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, December 14, 2022. /CFP
Civilians take shelter inside a metro station during an air raid alert in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, December 14, 2022. /CFP
Ukraine in recent weeks has faced Russian air strikes across the country, largely targeting infrastructure, as well as continued fighting along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions.
Zelenskyy pressed Western leaders as recently as Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Washington could announce a decision as soon as Thursday on providing the Patriot, two officials told Reuters on Tuesday. The Patriot would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to Ukraine to help repel Russian aerial attacks.
The former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has warned NATO against equipping Kyiv with Patriot missile defenses, and it is likely the Kremlin will view the move as an escalation, Reuters reported.
(With input from agencies)