Manual via Kyiv City Military Administration/Reuters
A handout image shows the aftermath of falling debris in Kiev, Ukraine on May 28.
CNN
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Russia launched its largest ever drone strike on Ukraine’s capital Kiev, killing one person and setting the city on fire.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said Russia had launched 54 Iranian Shahed drones early Sunday morning – 52 of which were shot down.
But the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said a 41-year-old man died following the attacks, and a 35-year-old woman was injured when drone debris fell on a gas station.
Kyiv has been targeted several times this month, but casualties have been rare despite this.
Fires spread to buildings across the capital as drone debris fell, Klitschko said on Telegram.
Following the barrage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the Ukrainian air defense as “heroes”.
“You’re looking to destroy enemy missiles, planes, helicopters and drones. Every time you shoot down enemy drones and missiles, lives are saved,” the president said.
In addition to trying to intimidate Kiev residents, Moscow could use drone strikes to force Kiev to get a sense of where its air defenses are, spending valuable ammunition shooting them down.
Shahed drones cost about 20 times less than a missile, so are a cheap way to inflict damage on Russia.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s capital will mark Kyiv Day, when it was officially founded 1,541 years ago.
The attacks come amid rumors of an imminent Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at retaking Russian-held territory.
Ukraine’s top general He hinted that the campaign could be coming soon“It’s time to take back what’s ours,” he says in one video.
Manual via Kyiv City Military Administration/Reuters
A handout picture shows the aftermath of a building collapse in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 28.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces shelled the city of Nikopol with heavy artillery, said Serhii Lizak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.
“The enemy again opened fire on the civilians with heavy artillery. “The occupier shelled Nikopol twice during the night, damaging six private houses and two outbuildings,” Lyzak wrote in a Telegram post.
A gas and main power line was damaged in the attack, but there were no casualties, Lysack said.
