Russia launches drone attacks on Ukraine after several weeks of pause

KYIV: Russia escalated its attacks on the Ukrainian capital after several weeks of halt by launching several drone attacks on the Kyiv, Poltava and Cherkasy regions of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported, citing Ukrainian officials.

The head of Kyiv's military administration, Serhiy Popko, said on social media, "The enemy's UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were launched in many groups and attacked Kyiv in waves from different directions, at the same time constantly changing the vectors of movement along the route."

"That is why the air raid alerts were announced several times in the capital," she added.

Popko said preliminary information indicated that Ukraine's air defence systems downed 10 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones in Kyiv and the city's outskirts, according to Al Jazeera.

There were no initial reports of "critical damage" or casualties, he said.

Taking on their Facebook page, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday morning that Russia attacked the Ukrainian territories from its Kursk region. According to Al Jazeera, the post stated that air defences shot down 15 out of 20 drones that conducted the strikes.

Moreover, the reports could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Russia as well.

Russia started carrying out strikes on Ukraine's energy, military and transport infrastructure in October 2022, six months after Moscow's troops failed to take over the capital and withdrew to Ukraine's east and south, Al Jazeera reported.

Reportedly, last winter, Russia hit Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones and left millions without electricity, heating or water during the coldest months of the year.

However, they halted their attacks for 52 days, but later, Moscow resumed air strikes on Kyiv earlier this month.

Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said all drones heading towards Kyiv were destroyed, but some hit infrastructure facilities elsewhere in Ukraine, reported Al Jazeera.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials warned that Russia would resume its large-scale bombardment of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure during the winter months.

"The closer we get to winter, the greater Russia's efforts will be to step up its attacks," Zelenskyy said.