Russia-Ukraine crisis: Kyiv mayor reports multiple explosions; two buildings hit by drones

Ukrainian authorities reported explosions in the capital, Kyiv, on Wednesday, saying that two administrative buildings — situated in a downtown district that is home to many government offices — were hit in drone strikes.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram that municipal teams were in place after the blasts, and officials said that the attack involved Iranian-made Shahed drones like those that Ukrainian authorities say have been involved in other Russian strikes in the country.

Shrapnel from one drone damaged two administrative buildings in the central Shevchenkyvskyi district, the Kyiv city administration said on its Telegram channel. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

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On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian air defence systems had shot down all 13 Shahed drones.

"[Russia] started this morning with 13 Shaheds ... all 13 were shot down by our Ukrainian air defence systems," he said, in a video address on social media.

The capital remained largely calm after the attack — which occurred around daybreak and before the start of the business day — and any destruction appeared to be very limited. The reported explosions went largely unnoticed, even in the central district.

However, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a top official in the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, cautioned that “the danger is not over yet” on the social media channel. He added that a private home in the southwestern suburb of Vyshneve had been hit.

The reported attacks come as Ukraine has faced a barrage of Russian air strikes in recent weeks, largely targeting infrastructure, as well as continued fighting along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions.

Ukrainian authorities said that during the latest round of volleys on December 5, more than 60 of 70 strikes were intercepted by air defence systems, including nine out of 10 targeting the capital and its region.

On Tuesday, US officials said that the United States was poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian missiles.

As recently as Monday, Zelensky pressed Western leaders to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia. The Patriot would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to Ukraine with, in order to help repel Russian aerial attacks in the conflict between the countries that erupted on February 24.

Last week, US officials also said that Moscow had been looking to Iran to resupply the Russian military with drones and surface-to-surface missiles.

• World