According to the mayor of the city, explosions were
reported early on Wednesday in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
Blasts reportedly shook the Shevchenkivskyi area in
the city's centre, and emergency services were called in, according to Vitali
Klitschko.
Oleksiy Kuleba, the governor of Kiev, claims that
air defense systems are in operation.
A short time after the air raid siren sounded, BBC
correspondents reported huge explosions. Since October, Russia has routinely
used missiles and drones to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Serhiy Popko, the commander of the military
administration for Kyiv, said that early on Wednesday, Ukrainian forces had
shot down 13 Shahed drones built in Iran.
The authority also reported that four residential
buildings and an office building in the city centre had been struck by a drone
fragment. However, a representative for the city's emergency services informed
Ukrainian media that there had been no reports of casualties from the hit.
Iran first denied providing Russia with the
"kamikaze" drones used in the fatal assaults on October 17th, but
Ukraine has since accused Iran of doing so.
Iran eventually acknowledged deploying a small
number of drones to Moscow "several months" before the conflict.
Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, responded
by claiming that this was untrue and that many more Iranian drones were in
operation.
Governor Kuala of Kiev said: "The system for
air defense is in action. Right now, it's crucial to be in shelters and secure
locations. Russia is still terrorizing our nation with its energy policies. But
every day we become stronger."
In an effort to demoralize its people, Russia has
recently targeted Ukraine's electricity system.
The assaults on civilian infrastructure have been criticized
by world leaders as war crimes, but last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin
justified the operations and said they were in retaliation to the explosion on
the Russian bridge leading to the annexation of Crimea on October 8.
The attacks take place as news emerges that the US
is getting ready to provide Ukraine access to its cutting-edge Patriot air defense
system. The announcement might occur as soon as Thursday, senior defense
officials told the news agency Reuters.
The system is one of the most cutting-edge in the
world, however it is frequently out of stock. It could be able to knock down
Russian missiles and drones because of its long-range capabilities before they
get close to Ukrainian cities.
However, Patriot systems require big staff to
operate them, unlike Ukraine's current air defense systems, and it may take
several months to educate Kyiv's military to utilize them successfully.
Any move to supply Ukraine with Patriot defenses
would undoubtedly be seen as an escalation by Russia. Dmitry Medvedev, a former
president who is currently vice head of the national Security Council, issued a
warning against the action last month.