By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-23 09:51:14 | Updated at 2025-04-05 06:08:52
1 week ago
At least three people were killed, including a five-year-old child, after Russia launched a barrage of drones targeting Kyiv overnight on Sunday, according to local Ukrainian officials and emergency services.
The attack on the Ukrainian capital came ahead of ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia in which Ukraine and Russia are expected to hold indirect US-mediated talks on Monday to discuss a pause in long-range attacks targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure.
The Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with US officials in Saudi Arabia a day ahead of the indirect talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Ukraine is planning to send technical teams to discuss the details of the partial ceasefire.
Russia launched 147 drones across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Ukrainian air defences shot down 97 and 25 others did not reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures. The attacks also struck Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa and Donetsk regions.
Extended sounds of explosions were heard in the early hours of the night as the air raid blared for over five hours. Russian drones and debris from shot-down drones, which were flying at lower altitudes to evade air defences, fell on residential buildings. Ukraine’s Kyiv City Military Administration said three people were killed and 10 others were injured.
Two residential buildings in the district of Dnipro caught fire due to falling drone debris, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. A fire broke out on the top floors of a 9-storey building, killing one woman, the State Emergency Service said.
