Ukraine Calls Russia Launching Large-Scale Kamikaze Drone Attack Against Kyiv

Illustration of the Shahed drone made in Iran. (Twitter/@inbarspace)

Russia launched a wave of airstrikes on Kyiv, in what officials have said was the city's largest drone strike since the start of the war, as the capital Ukraine is preparing to celebrate its anniversary on Sunday.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had brought down 52 of the 54 Russian-launched drones, calling them a record attack with Iranian-made 'kamikaze' drones. However, it was not immediately clear how many drones were shot over Kyiv.

In an attack that appeared to be the first deadly attack on Kyiv in May and the 14th attack this month, falling debris killed a 41-year-old man, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

The attack before dawn took place on the last Sunday of May, when the capital Ukraine celebrated Kyiv Day, the anniversary of the city's establishment 1,541 years ago. That day is usually marked by street bazaars, live concerts and special museum exhibitions, which are planned to be held this year too, but on a smaller scale.

Sunday's attack came after Kyiv said fighting clashes eased around the trapped city of Bakhmut in southeastern Ukraine, where fighting was the longest in the war.

Serhiy Popko, head of military administration Kyiv said the attack was carried out in several waves and air warnings lasted for more than five hours.

"Today, the enemy decided to 'congratulate' the Kyiv people on Kyiv Day with the help of their deadly UAV," Popko said on the Telegram message channel.

Several districts in Kyiv, which is Ukraine's largest city with a population of about 3 million, were damaged by overnight attacks, officials said, including the historic area of Pecherskyi.

Meanwhile, Reuters eyewitnesses said, during the airstrike warning that began after midnight, many stood on the balcony of their homes, some chanted attacks aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and slogans "Glorence to air defenses".

In the holosiivskyi district that is thick in the southwestern part of Kyiv, the debris that fell caused a three-story warehouse to catch fire, destroying about 1,000 square meters (10,800 square feet) of the building structure, said the Mayor of Klitschko.

The fire broke out after the wreckage of a drone that crashed hit a seven-story non-hunian building in the Solomyanskyi District, west of the city. This district is a hub for busy rail and air transportation.

Meanwhile, in the Pederskyi District, fires broke out on the roof of a nine-story building due to falling drone debris, and in Darnytskyi District, a shop was damaged, military administration official Kyiv said via Telegram.