Gulf Today Report
Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, which witnessed at night a series of attacks by drones, a day after the Kremlin was targeted.
A drone was seen shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, while the military administration of the city of Kiev reported that the air defense had been activated.
Ukrainian authorities issued an air raid alert for Kiev and the surrounding area, and witnesses heard small gunfire and explosions in the capital.
Social media pioneers shared videos showing the moment a drone was dropped over the sky of the capital, Kiev.
The development comes a day after the military complex in Kiev was bombed, as air raid sirens continued for more than three hours.
On Thursday, Ukraine confirmed that it shot down 18 of the 24 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Sergei Popko, head of the military administration for the city of Kiev, said that, according to preliminary information, "the air defense forces destroyed all enemy missiles and drones over Kiev."
Popko added that this is the third day of attempted strikes on Kiev in May.
He continued, "Our city has not witnessed such intense strikes since the beginning of this year."
He confirmed that the wreckage of the drones fell on different parts of Kiev, but that there were no injuries. According to Ukrainian sources, the city of Odessa was bombed with 15 drones.
The latest escalation comes after Russia announced on Wednesday that it had shot down two drones that targeted the Kremlin in what it described as a "terrorist" attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, while Ukraine denied its involvement in the attack.