A mass Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed a minimum of three individuals, including a five-year-old boy, and resulted in widespread destruction to residential properties, according to Ukrainian officials on Sunday. Blazes engulfed a number of high-rise apartments throughout the capital, and emergency response units were forced to labor through the night. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko called the attack a “massive enemy drone attack” and verified that emergency responders had been sent to several districts.
The air force of Ukraine reported that Russia fired 147 drones overnight into different regions of the country. Air defense systems shot down and destroyed 97 drones, while 25 were unable to hit their target areas. The attack was hours away from scheduled diplomatic negotiations in Saudi Arabia, where diplomats from Ukraine, US, and Russia were scheduled to meet and discuss maritime security in the Black Sea. The US is also said to be urging a ceasefire pact by April 20, as reported by Bloomberg News.
Despite continued diplomatic attempts, the conflict does not seem to be slowing down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that Russia had fired over 1,580 guided air bombs, close to 1,100 attack drones, and 15 missiles against Ukraine alone in the last week. He urged mounting pressure on Moscow to stop the attacks.
Among the victims, the child and a man were discovered in Holosiivskyi district rubble in Kyiv, and a woman perished in a fire from burning drone debris in the Dniprovskyi district. At least eight others were hurt in the city, while other casualties and damage to property were reported in the surrounding areas. Kyiv and eastern Ukraine were under air raid warnings for over five hours after the strikes. Russia remains silent on the attack.
