Ahead of its anniversary of its founding in 482 A.D., Kyiv suffered the largest drone attack since the war with Russia began, Ukrainian officials said Sunday.
Ukraine's Air Force said on Telegram that a record number of 54 Russian-made Shahed drones were launched at the city overnight, although it said it had shot down 52 of them. NBC News was unable to independently verify these figures.
The attack was mainly directed at military facilities and critical infrastructure in the center of Ukraine, the statement said.
In a separate Telegram post, the Kyiv City Military Authority said the attack was carried out in several waves, and the air alert lasted more than 5 hours. It added that it was the most massive drone attack on the capital since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, namely with the Shahed barrage of ammunition. Shahed drones are self-detonating aerial weapons in which the munition can loiter over a target until instructed to attack, destroying the weapon in the process. Since the beginning of its invasion last February, Iran has been believed to have sent hundreds of these weapons to Russia.
At least one person was killed and another was taken to hospital after they were hit by falling debris from buildings that were hit, the military authority said.
The debris caused 10,800 square feet of destruction, it said, resulting from a shopping mall and a three-story warehouse.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitchko, said in a statement that buildings had caught fire in the historic neighborhood of Perchersk, the city's capital, which is famous for its monastery containing the relics of saints.
With its advanced Western-supplied systems, Ukraine has been able to thwart Russian air attacks - both drones and aircraft missiles. Earlier in May, Ukraine prevented an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv, shooting down all missiles aimed at the capital.
The most recent attacks came as Kyiv prepares to celebrate its official founding anniversary. It is typically celebrated with live shows, street fairs, exhibitions and fireworks but scaled-back celebrations are planned for this year - the city's 1,541th anniversary.
The history of Ukraine is a longstanding irritant for complex Russians, said Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office. Ancient Kyiv, Ukrainian Kyiv UAV attack, Ancient Kyiv. The terror attack came as speculation ratcheted up regarding a long-anticipated counteroffensive from Ukrainian forces.
We're preparing the battlefield for the new phase of the war. It's a large number of measures in different sectors of the front line, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told NBC News.
He added that preparation was well underway, praised a slickly produced video published by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces.
The time has come to return, what is ours, the document said, according to Ukrainian troops training, swearing an oath and preparing for battle. If the top general is suggesting that, he ll have a good reason, Podolyak said. It shows that Ukraine is probably ready to start a big operation aimed at the liberation of its territories, he said.