Russia blasted the Ukrainian capital with a deadly wave of “kamikaze” drones Monday, in a renewed attack that set apartments ablaze as soldiers fired into the air.
The drones, carrying explosives and their distinctive buzz, terrorized Kyiv just a week after the Kremlin’s forces unleashed a deadly barrage across the country.
Ukraine said the attacks included Iranian-made drones, which it has accused Moscow of increasingly deploying as it runs low on precision missiles, and appealed again for Western allies to provide aerial defensive help.
The drones launched by Russia inside Ukraine did appear to come from Iran, said a senior defense official, who added that U.S. intelligence indicates that Iran has provided Russia with hundreds of autonomous flying vehicles capable of exploding upon impact.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said “kamikaze” drones caused five explosions that rocked the city in the early morning hours Monday.
Ukrainian officials also reported rocket strikes in the southern port city of Odesa, the central Dnipropetrovsk region and the northeastern Sumy region. Overnight, drone attacks were also reported by officials in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
The head of Zelenskyy’s office, Andrii Yermak, called for more air defense systems from the West and “as soon as possible.”