Local authorities have reported that a new, large-scale drone attack by Russia overnight on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, resulted in at least one fatality.

According to Vitaliy Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, a man died when drone debris hit a gas station nearby. A woman suffered harm.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, a total of 54 so-called kamikaze drones were launched by Russia at Ukrainian objectives, 52 of which were shot down.

According to officials, more than 40 drones were shot down alone in Kyiv.

No outside source has independently confirmed this data.

In an effort to overwhelm Kyiv’s defenses, Russia, which began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, has stepped up its attacks in recent weeks.

Air raid alerts were set out earlier on Sunday in 12 Ukrainian areas, from Dnipropetrovsk in the south-east to Volyn in the north-west.

Mr. Klitschko advised inhabitants of Kyiv to “stay in shelters” in a social media post, predicting waves of drone attacks and a “difficult” night ahead.

He claimed that at least two skyscrapers in various parts of the capital were on fire as a result of being hit by drone shards that were falling to the ground.

Officials in Kiev also reported that warehouses in the Holosiyivsky area of southern Kiev were on fire.

Emergency personnel have been sent out.

The most recent incident occurs as local inhabitants celebrate Kyiv Day, an annual festival celebrated in tranquil times.

West of Kiev, in the city of Zhytomyr, there were other reports of explosions.

Later, the air warning was canceled in the nation’s capital and all other major cities.

Russia has been employing a variety of cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as so-called kamikaze drones, in its recent attacks.

The assaults occur before an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.

One of Ukraine’s top security officials told the BBC on Saturday that the nation was prepared to begin such an operation.

An assault to recover land from President Vladimir Putin’s invading forces might start “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or in a week,” according to Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the influential National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.

Ukraine declares that the counteroffensive is about to start.
For months, Ukraine has been preparing a counterattack. However, it has sought as much time as possible to prepare its forces and collect military supplies from allies in the West.