The Ukrainian air force said on Monday it had shot down 13 explosive drones launched overnight from southern Russia after air raid sirens sounded for hours in Kiev.
The air force said in Telegram that Russian forces launched 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones from the Bryansk region, northeast of Kiev, 13 of which were shot down by Ukrainian forces.
Russia has launched missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure since October, prompting Kiev to bolster its air defense systems with help from the West.
Air strike signals sounded for hours in Kiev on Monday morning and officials said air defenses had been deployed because of an “air target”.
The head of the city’s military administration, Sergiy Popko, said the drones were headed for Kiev, but Ukraine’s air defense forces shot them down and did not cause any injuries or hit infrastructure.
Ukraine has become more resistant to Russian airstrikes after receiving new missile defense systems from Western allies, including the United States and Britain.
However, a Russian drone strike in late February killed two people and injured three in the western Ukraine town of Khmelnytski.
The US announced $2 billion in additional security assistance to Kiev last month after agreeing in December to send its powerful Patriot air defense missiles.
AFP journalists recently saw Ukrainian troops outside Kiev protecting the city from drones armed with pre-World War II machine guns.
Source: DN
