Kyiv Thwarts Russian Drone Attack, Odesa Not So Fortunate

Russia targeted several regions of Ukraine overnight in an overnight attack, with air defenses shooting down 29 of 38 kamikaze drones launched by Moscow’s forces.

Around ten targeted Kyiv, all of which were successfully intercepted, city authorities said on Saturday morning.

In a post on Telegram, Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said: “The second attack by enemy drones on Kyiv this month.

“Enemy drones (according to preliminary reports – Shahed loitering munitions) were launched from the southern direction.”

Popko said they drones took a circuitous route in an apparent attempt to confuse air defenses.

“In order to get to the capital, the UAVs of the rashists had to overcome a difficult route with a length of almost 1,000 km,” he said.

An air raid alert sounded in the capital just after midnight with the all clear being given at 1:20am. Another, lasting just under an hour, sounded at 04:10am.

Drones also attacked the Black Sea coastal city of Odesa, not all of which were intercepted.

City authorities said on social media on Saturday morning: “Unfortunately, an energy infrastructure object was hit in the Odesa District.

“The administration building was hit. A fire broke out, which was quickly contained. One civilian employee was injured and hospitalised.”

The Mykolaiv and Kherson regions were also targeted but there are currently no reports of damage or casualties.

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Russian air attacks on Kyiv have been comparatively rare in recent months but a renewed campaign targeting civilian infrastructure as winter sets in is expected.

As Kyiv Post reported earlier, Russia has stockpiled more than 800 missiles in Crimea alone in anticipation of a likely move to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout winter, and Russia likely retains the capability to manufacture additional missiles despite Western sanctions.