Russia launched waves of airstrikes on Kyiv overnight in what officials claimed was the city’s largest drone attack, but later on Sunday, people flocked to the streets to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of the Ukrainian capital.
The air force described the attack with the Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones as a record assault, and the Ukrainian military claimed to have shot down 58 of the 59 drones that had been fired. All 36 drones aimed at Kiev, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, have been destroyed.
On the final Sunday in May, the city of Kiev celebrates Kyiv Day, marking the occasion of the city’s formal creation 1,541 years ago. This is when the pre-dawn attacks took place.
In his midnight address, Zelenskiy stated, “This is how Russia celebrates the day of our ancient Kiev.”
A 41-year-old man was killed by falling debris, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, in what looks to be the first fatal attack on Kyiv in May and the 14th assault this month. Several other individuals were hurt.
Even though they were fatigued from their late-night shelter stays, locals flocked to the streets during the day to take part in scaled-back celebrations that included live performances, food stalls, and craft shows.
Zelenskiy remarked, “Russia will only face loss when life, people, and the most significant cities for culture are scorned. Strength is in people, it is in cities, it is in life.
Officials reported that several districts of Kyiv, by far the largest city in Ukraine with a population of almost 3 million, including the storied Pecherskyi quarter, were affected by the attacks that occurred overnight.
According to witness several people stood on their balconies during the air raid alarms that began just after midnight, some yelling insults at Russian President Vladimir Putin and “Glory to air defence” chants.
The Kyiv region in particular was the target of Sunday’s Russian attacks, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, as has been happening more frequently as a Ukrainian counteroffensive approaches.
One drone, according to Zelenskiy, struck an unknown infrastructure target in the Zhytomyr district, west of the city.
According to Yuri Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, the drones were shot down using both fighter aircraft and mobile air defence systems.
He made no mention of the systems used. He has previously claimed that Ukraine destroys the Shahed drones using NASAMS air defence systems.
The U.S.-made Stinger portable systems, which are also used to shoot down drones, and additional NASAM systems, among other items that were sent as part of the U.S. aid package in April, were thanked by the Ukrainian Air Force on Saturday.
The attacks on Sunday occurred after Kyiv reported that fighting had subsided around the city of Bakhmut, which had been under siege and was the scene of the longest struggle of the war.
Despite Russian forces continuing their massive artillery strikes, Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern military organisation, claimed that only one combat encounter had taken place in Bakhmut over the previous 24 hours.
Over the weekend, Kiev made it known that its troops were prepared to begin a long-promised counteroffensive in order to retake territory lost to Russia during the war’s first 15 months.
“Kyiv has experienced numerous forms of aggression from invaders throughout its history. “It will survive the (Russians) just as it has survived them all,” Zelenskiy declared on Sunday.
