Russia intensifies drone attacks on Ukrainian capital

Dozens of Russian drones targeted the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a night time attack that lasted eight hours, authorities said Thursday.

Local officials said many of them were shot down over the city, but that falling debris injured at least 2 people and damaged 10 buildings, including a medical facility.

They said Russian forces fired lone drones and swarms of drones that entered Ukrainian airspace from various directions and at a variety of altitudes, in an apparent attempt to overwhelm the air defence system.

Officials say Russian drones also hit an energy facility in northern Ukraine resulting in power cuts.

As Russia steps up its strikes, Ukraine is bracing for the potential withdrawal of support from the United States following Donald Trump’s re-election.

Throughout his campaign, the Republican now-president-elect cast strong doubts on continued US commitment to Kyiv.

Drone attacks on Kyiv have recently been occurring almost daily, more than two-and-a-half years after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Russia is currently deploying about 10 times more Iranian-made Shahed drones than it was this time last year.