A view of a house destroyed by a Russian military strike is seen, as Russia鈥檚 attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Stepne, in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine December 29, 2022. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
KYIV 鈥� Russia has been targeting Ukraine鈥檚 critical infrastructure in a series of drone attacks early on Monday on Kyiv and the region surrounding it, officials said.
Russia kept pounding Kyiv for the second night in a row, after firing a barrage of missiles over the capital on New Year鈥檚 Eve night and earlier in the day.
鈥淚t is loud in the region and in the capital: night drone attacks,鈥� Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba said on the Telegram messaging app.
鈥淩ussians launched several waves of (Iranian-made) Shahed drones. Targeting critical infrastructure facilities. Air defense is at work.鈥�
By 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), Ukraine鈥檚 air defense systems destroyed 16 air objects above Kyiv, the city鈥檚 military administration said. Air raid sirens were wailing by that time for more than three hours.
Earlier in the night, debris from a destroyed drone over Kyiv hit the capital鈥檚 northeastern district, wounding one, the city鈥檚 Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
A 19-year-old man was taken to a hospital in Kyiv鈥檚 Desnianskiy district, Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app, after drone debris hit a road there and damaged a building.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the information.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Ukrainian presidential aide, said drone debris hit a road in the Desnianskiy district, in Kyiv鈥檚 northeast, damaging a building next to it.
The district, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River, is chiefly a residential area and the capital鈥檚 most populous district.
Ukraine鈥檚 regional military command in the country鈥檚 east said air defense systems destroyed nine Iranian-made Shahed drones over the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions by early hours of Monday.
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