Kiev, Dec. 22, (dpa/GNA) - The Ukrainian military said on Friday it had repelled 24 out of 28 Russian drones which targeted the capital Kiev and the regions of Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson in overnight attacks.
In Kiev, debris from a downed drone hit a high-rise building, causing severe damage to the flats on the upper floors and a fire, as seen in photos taken by the authorities.
Kiev’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said that one person was taken to hospital and another injured person was treated on the spot. Another house in the capital was also hit by drone fragments, it was reported.
In the Kiev region, three houses were damaged by falling debris, the authorities reported. In the Mykolaiv region, a drone hit a piece of civilian infrastructure, causing a fire, they said.
A grain silo was damaged by falling debris in the Odessa region on the Black Sea. No one there was injured, the local military administration said.
The country’s air defence system, which has been reinforced by Western defence systems, reports the launch of Russian drones and missiles on an almost daily basis.
The impacts of the drones or the debris resulting from their launch repeatedly cause serious damage, deaths and injuries.
In the early hours of February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukrainian territory on multiple fronts. Moscow has since annexed four territories in the east and south of Ukraine, in violation of international law.
The fighting is still concentrated around the east and south.
Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive earlier this year, but progress has been limited. Kiev has vowed to retake all the land occupied the Russia, including the Crimean peninsula which the Kremlin annexed in 2014.
GNA