Russia's pre-dawn assault strikes Kyiv as air defences battle relentless bombardment

Russia launched a pre-dawn attack on Ukraine's capital Tuesday as its air defenses worked to stop drones in what has been a relentless wave of daylight and nighttime bombardments targeting Kyiv.

The buzzing of drones and loud explosions were heard as Ukrainian air defense responded to the third Russia aerial attack on the capital in the last 24 hours. According to preliminary data, more than 20 Shahed drones were destroyed by air defense forces in Kyiv's airspace, the Kyiv Military Administration says.

One person died, three were injured when a high-rise building in the Holosiiv district caught fire. The two upper floors are destroyed, and there may be people under the rubble, the Kiyv military administration said. More than 20 people were evacuated.

Elsewhere in the capital, falling debris caused a fire in a private house in the Darnytskyi district and three cars were set alight in the Pechersky district, according to the military administration.

A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine (Image Credit: AP)

The series of attacks that began Sunday included a rare daylight attack Monday that left puffs of white smoke in the blue skies.

Russian forces fired 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv at about 11:30 a.m., according to Ukraine’s chief of staff, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. All of them were shot down, he said.

Debris from the intercepted missiles fell in Kyiv’s central and northern districts during the morning, landing in the middle of traffic on a city road and also starting a fire on the roof of a building, the Kyiv military administration said. At least one civilian was reported hurt.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it launched a series of strikes early Monday targeting Ukrainian air bases with precision long-range air-launched missiles. The strikes destroyed command posts, radars, aircraft and ammunition stockpiles, it claimed. It didn’t say anything about hitting cities or other civilian areas.