Ukraine reported another large-scale drone attack on its capital, Kyiv, on Monday. This came just one day after Ukraine’s top military leader said the country would expand its strikes inside Russia.
So far, diplomatic talks between the two countries have stalled. They last met nearly three weeks ago, and no new talks are planned.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said, “Another massive attack on the capital. Possibly, several waves of enemy drones.”
Civilian Casualties in Kyiv Districts
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that two people were taken to hospital in the Solomianski district. Later, Tkachenko added that two others were injured near a metro station in the Sviatochinski area.
AFP journalists on the ground in Kyiv heard drone buzzing, explosions, and gunfire across the city. Some residents took shelter in building basements. Reporters saw about ten people in one shelter checking their phones for updates as the attack unfolded.
Ukraine Vows to Strike Deeper into Russian Territory
The drone attack followed comments from Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, who said Ukraine would not stay on the defensive.
“We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories,” Syrsky told AFP and other reporters.
He confirmed Ukraine would increase its attacks on Russian military targets. “Of course, we will continue. We will increase the scale and depth,” he said.
Ukraine Defends Cross-Border Strikes
Throughout the war, Ukraine has targeted Russian energy and military sites, even those located far from the front lines. Kyiv views these strikes as justified, especially after Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas and infrastructure.
On Sunday, a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the city of Kramatorsk, killing at least four people. Later that day, a separate strike on a Ukrainian army training site killed three more, officials reported.
Russia Holds the Drone Edge
Syrsky admitted that Russia currently has the upper hand in drone warfare. He said Russia uses fibre-optic drones, which are hard to jam. “Here, unfortunately, they have an advantage in both the number and range of their use,” he explained.
Despite this, he claimed Ukraine still controls 90 square kilometres of land inside Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine carried out a cross-border operation there last August.“These are our pre-emptive actions in response to a possible enemy offensive,” Syrsky said.
However, Russia denies Ukraine holds any part of that region. It claimed full control of Kursk in April.
Russia Expands Offensive, Claims Territory
Currently, Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Since 2022, Moscow has also claimed four more Ukrainian regions as its own. Kyiv accuses Russia of deliberately blocking peace efforts in order to continue its invasion and capture more land.
Over the weekend, Russia announced it had captured Petrivske, a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 47 drones and fired three missiles between Saturday night and Sunday morning.