Ukraine claims overnight drone strikes by Russia

Rescuers clear debris from homes destroyed by a missile attack on the outskirts of Kyiv Thursday. Pic/AFP

Ukraine's army said on Friday that it repelled an overnight drone attack on the country, including on the capital Kyiv, a day after Russia launched a barrage of missiles on the war-battered nation.

"On the night of December 29-30, the enemy attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made kamikaze drones," Ukraine's air force said in a statement on social media.

It added that a total of 16 drones were launched from the southeastern and northern directions and they were "all" destroyed by Ukraine's air defence. In the capital Kyiv, the city authorities announced an air alert at 2:12 am local time (2412 GMT), which lasted for just over two hours.

Also Read: Ukraine targeted in another Russian missile barrage

Mayor Vitali Klitschko later said the capital was attacked with seven drones: two were shot down "on approach" and five over the city. There were no casualties, but falling debris damaged windows in two buildings in a southwestern neighbourhood, he added.

On Thursday morning, blasts were reported across Ukraine - including in Kyiv, the second city Kharkiv in the east and the western city of Lviv near the border with Poland. Ukraine's army said Russia had launched 69 cruise missiles, 54 of which had been shot down.

The attacks came 10 months into Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. In recent months Russian strikes have targeted the energy grid, leaving millions in the cold in the middle of winter. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said most regions were left without power following Thursday's attack.

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