Russia launched a largescale drone attack, on what it was supposed to be an upcoming day of celebration for the residents of the Ukranian capital on Kyiv Day which happens to be their anniversary of the capital’s founding day, leading to a plight of disdain for the people.
Russia has now been indulged in this war for more than a year and the escalations doesn’t seem to go down. As the former advances forward the later i.e., Ukraine is keeping a bolstering will to defend the territory through multiple military support from NATO, European Union to name a few.
Current Scenario
As Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, prepared to commemorate its creation anniversary on Sunday, Russia launched rounds of air strikes on the city overnight in what Ukrainian officials claimed seemed to be the most extensive drone attack upon the city from the beginning of the war.
The 52 out of the 54 drones launched by Russia were shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which called the attack a record use of the Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones. It was unclear right away how many drones were shot above Kyiv.
A 41-year-old man was killed by falling debris in what looks to be the first fatal assault on Kyiv in May and the 14th strike of the month, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko.
On the final Sunday in May, the city of Kiev celebrates Kyiv Day, marking the occasion of the city’s formal creation 1,541 years ago. This is when the pre-dawn attacks took place. Street festivals, live performances, and special exhibitions at museums celebrate the day customarily; plans for all of these events have been planned this year as well, but at less of an extent.
Deep dive into the attacks
15 months into the conflict, with a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia has increased airstrikes, focusing mostly on military installations and supplies. Attack waves now occur numerous times every week. The attacks on Sunday occurred after Kyiv reported that fighting had subsided around the city of Bakhmut, which had been under siege and was the scene of the longest struggle of the war.
The operation was carried out in many waves, according to Serhiy Popko, the commander of Kyiv’s military operations, and air alerts persisted for over five hours. Today, the enemy decided to ‘congratulate’ the people of Kyiv on Kyiv Day with the help of their deadly UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles),” Popko said on the Telegram messaging channel.
Repercussions of the Russian strike
Officials reported that multiple areas of Kyiv, which is the largest city in Ukraine with an estimated population of almost 3 million, including the storied Pecherskyi quarter, were affected by the attacks that occurred overnight.
Multiple individuals stood up on their balconies during the air raid alarms that began just after midnight, some yelling insults at Russian President Vladimir Putin with “Glory to air defense” chants. The unwavering spirit of the people of Ukraine couldn’t be ignored here, even at the sight of such adversity.
According to Mayor Klitschko, falling debris in Kyiv’s green Holosiivskyi district ignited a three-story warehouse, demolishing about 1,000 square metres (10,800 square feet) of construction structures. In the Solomyanskyi neighborhood, west of the city, a seven-story non-residential building was struck by falling drone debris, which caused a fire to start. The area is a bustling rail and airport transportation hub.
According to Kyiv’s military leadership officials, falling drone debris caused a fire to start on the top of a nine-story building in the Pecherskyi area, while a business was destroyed in the Darnytskyi neighborhood.
