Russian Drone Attack Hits Residential Building in Kyiv, Injures Two

Ukraine said Friday that it had downed 24 out of 28 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia overnight as two Kyiv residents were reported injured by a drone attack on a residential building.

"On the night of December 22, 2023, the Russian occupation forces attacked with 28 Shahed attack drones," Ukraine's air force said on social media.

"As a result of combat work, 24 'Shaheds' were shot down," the statement said.

Air raid sirens were heard in Kyiv late Thursday, and residents heard loud explosions. City hall initially said air defences were in action and called on people to stay in shelters.

Russian missiles and drones frequently target the Ukrainian capital but are usually shot down by air defence systems.

"A residential building in Kyiv hit by a Shahed," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram, referring to the Iranian-made drones often used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine.

The attack also affected Solomianskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, reporting "flames on the upper floors."

One man was hospitalized, while another person was treated at the scene, he added.

Kyiv's military administration published photos on social media of apartment buildings with windows blown out, saying debris from a downed drone had caused the damage rather than a strike.

Klitschko also said debris from another downed drone fell on a house in the Darnytskyi district in the east of the city.

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In the Holosiivskyi district in the city's south, a piece of shrapnel from a downed drone fell on a high-rise building without causing any casualties, the military administration said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian air force said several groups of drones were moving towards the center, west and south of the country.