Russia has launched a wave of 'kamikaze' drones against Kyiv and other regions in Ukraine.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 35 Iranian-made drones over Kyiv in Russia's latest nighttime assault, as attacks across Ukraine by the Kremlin's forces killed four civilians, officials said on Monday.
Kyiv's Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said almost 60 drones had been launched by Russia, describing it as the "biggest" such attack since the war began in February 2022.
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"I visited a high-rise building that was hit by fragments of a Russian drone at night," Klitschko wrote in a statement on Telegram.
"Last night, the barbarians staged the most massive attack with kamikaze drones. Almost 60 'Shaheds' were launched," more than half of which targeted Kyiv, according to Klitschko.
The Shahed drones that Russia has rebranded as Geran-2 are packed with explosives and are pre-programmed to loiter overhead until they nosedive into a target.
Five people in the capital were injured by falling drone debris, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Air raid alarms sounded for more than three hours during the night.
Drone wreckage struck a two-storey apartment building in Kyiv's western Svyatoshynskyi district, while other debris struck a car parked nearby, setting it on fire, Klitschko said in a Telegram post.
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Russia has faced economic sanctions and limits on its supply chains because of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow has routinely turned to Iranian Shahed drones to bolster its firepower.
Russian shelling of 127 targets across northern, southern and eastern parts of Ukraine killed three civilians, the Ukrainian defence ministry said.
Russian long-range bombers launched up to eight cruise missiles at Ukraine's southern Odesa region, authorities said. One person was killed and three others were wounded.
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Meanwhile, Russia enacted a major security clampdown before Tuesday's annual commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, curbing the use of drones and ride-sharing services in its largest cities - even jet skis on the canals of St. Petersburg.
At least 21 Russian cities cancelled on May 9 military parades - the staple of Victory Day celebrations across Russia - for the first time in years, Russian media said.
- Reported with Associated Press, CNN
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