One killed as Russia attacks Kyiv for third successive night

At least one person was killed on Thursday in a third successive night of Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the city’s mayor said.

Air defences shot down all 20 drones launched by Russia to attack Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as two Kalibr missiles in other parts of the country, the air force said.

But falling debris from the downed drones caused fires in the capital, and a body was recovered in the historic Podil district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

“This night, Russian terrorists again resorted to a mass attack. The enemy attacked the Kyiv region with drones and missiles. The air alert lasted more than 3 hours,” Ruslan Kravchenko, the governor of the Kyiv region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

A Kalibr missile and several drones were shot down in the Mykolayiv region in southern Ukraine, but a school and about 10 private houses were damaged by falling debris, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said.

Explosions were also reported in other regional centres but there was no immediate word of any damage or casualties.

Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, did not immediately comment on the latest attacks.

There was no easing of air strikes while NATO leaders met in Lithuania this week for a summit which Zelenskiy said provided Ukraine with “a foundation of security” for the first time since it gained independence in 1991.

Heavy fighting also continued in Ukraine despite the summit, where Zelenskiy held talks with Western leaders.

Kyiv says its forces are making progress on frontlines in the east and south after launching a counteroffensive in early June, but Russian forces still hold swathes of territory in eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.