Russia dive-bombs Kyiv with 'kamikaze' drones

Russia dive-bombs Kyiv with 'kamikaze' drones

According to BBC, Russia has hit Ukraine with a wave of attacks, dive-bombing the capital, Kyiv, with what appear to be Iranian-made "kamikaze" drones.

Critical infrastructure was hit in the Kyiv, Dnipro and Sumy regions, with electricity cut in hundreds of towns and villages, the government says.

At least eight people were killed, four in Kyiv and four in Sumy.

Calls have mounted for sanctions on Iran, which continues to deny supplying drones to the Russian military.

A week ago, the Ukrainian capital was hit by Russian missiles at rush hour, part of nationwide attacks which left 19 dead.

In the latest attack, starting at around 06:30 (03:30 GMT), 28 drones targeted the capital but only five hit targets, according to the Mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko.

The city reverberated to the rattle of gunfire as anti-aircraft batteries frantically tried to shoot them down. Video on social media appeared to show one interception.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, rescuers searched for survivors in the ruins of a block of flats that partially collapsed after one attack. The street was cordoned off as dozens of firefighters and emergency staff worked at the scene. Among the four people killed in the district was a pregnant woman.

Across the street from the ruined building, the offices of Ukraine's energy company were also hit. The facility was probably the intended target of the strike.

Mayor Klitschko described the attacks as a "genocide of the Ukrainian people", saying, "The Russians need a Ukraine without Ukrainians."

The city authorities, he added, were expecting air defence systems to be delivered soon to protect the capital from further drone attacks.

"The enemy can attack our cities, but it won't be able to break us," said President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing the attacks as "terrorising the civilian population".

Despite an appeal from the mayor for people to seek shelter, the city's streets were far from deserted. Between two sets of strikes, plenty of people could be seen going about their business.

A Reuters news agency journalist reported seeing fragments of a drone used in the attack that bore the words "For Belgorod".

The Russian border city of Belgorod has been hit several times since Russia invaded Ukraine. Moscow blames Kyiv for the attacks.