Air defense repels mass drone attack against Kyiv

Ukrainian air defense units repelled a "massive" Russian drone attack targeting Kyiv in the early hours of Sept. 16, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.

The drone strike marked the eighth aerial attack against Kyiv this month, Popko said.

The Air Force announced an aerial alert over Kyiv at around 2 a.m. local time on Sept. 16. The alert lasted for three and a half hours, according to Popko.

Russia launched multiple groups of attack drones at Kyiv from different directions throughout the night.

Air defense forces intercepted "almost two dozen" unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the city's airspace. There were no casualties or damage in Kyiv as a result of the attack, according to preliminary reports.

An overnight drone strike against Kyiv on Sept. 7 damaged multiple residential buildings.

Russia launched a series of devastating missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's cities in the first weeks of September, hitting educational facilities and other civilian targets in Poltava, Sumy, Lviv, and Kryvyi Rih.

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The Kyiv IndependentNate Ostiller