Explosions heard in Kyiv's Obolonskyi district: authorities report work of air defenses

Kyiv was rocked by explosions early on Thursday as Russian drones targeted the city, with air defense systems actively engaging the threats, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

An air raid alert was issued in Kyiv at 1:40 a.m., and by 1:49 a.m., an enemy drone was spotted near the city, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The Kyiv City Military Administration reported explosions at 2:28, 4:22, and 5:20 a.m., all attributed to the work of air defense systems.

At 6:18 a.m., emergency services were called to the Pecherskyi district. Klitschko reported that preliminary data indicated that debris from a drone strike caused a fire on the first floor of a five-story residential building. Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, added that the drone attack also caused a gas pipe to rupture. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

As of 5:20 a.m., Shahed drones were observed in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, and Poltava oblasts. Their direction of movement was constantly changing, the Air Force noted.

The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that a child was injured in the attack and was hospitalized with multiple cuts. In addition to the gas pipe rupture in the residential building, the drone also damaged about 20 cars and shattered windows in four buildings. Debris from the drone fell on the territory of a kindergarten. The threat of drone attacks remains.

Overnight, the enemy also attacked Zaporizhzhia, according to the head of the military administration, Ivan Fedorov. The strike hit residential buildings and the territory of an industrial enterprise, injuring six adults—two men and four women—and a 14-year-old boy.

On Tuesday, the enemy shelled Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, reportedly with artillery. The strike hit residential buildings, killing two people.

Additionally, the aggressor carried out an airstrike on Kharkiv. More than 20 people were injured, and three were reported dead.

On Wednesday evening, the Russian army struck Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast. Two people were killed, and among the 12 injured were three children.