Ukraine’s capital Kyiv hit by biggest drone attack since war began – BBC News
BBC News- 607 views
- 25 Nov 2023
Russia has launched its biggest drone attack on Kyiv since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last year, the city's mayor has ...
Let's take you to Ukraine, where officials say Russia has launched the largest drone attack on Kyiv since Moscow's full-scale invasion began. You can see the pictures here of the drones being shot down by Ukraine's air defenses. The attack, which was the most sustained in months, brought down some power lines. Kyiv's mayor says two people were injured in the attack, but no deaths have been reported. I've been speaking to James Waterhouse. He's our correspondent in Kyiv, who told me about the night and how long the attack lasted for.
Six hours, really, where we heard the the booms of the city's air defenses echo around the streets, really. We've seen footage online showing Shaheed drones flying overhead. They're these Iranian-made drones, which Russia has been using of late. They are cheaper than ballistic missiles, and it's a means which Russia has switched to as its own stockpiles have dwindled. They have a distinctive whining engine, and it was a fairly relentless attack. Seventy-five drones were launched towards Kyiv and the surrounding region from the North and the east mostly, and the majority of them were shot down according to authorities. I think that's a reflection of Ukraine's improved air defenses. But look, it had been a quiet few weeks where there were growing fears that Russia had been stockpiling its drones and missiles. There have also been worries that Russia would resume its strategy of targeting Ukrainian infrastructure as winter continues to bite. I think those fears have very much been realized in a very abrupt way this morning. More than 16,000 homes are without power. The worry is more could come.
Indeed, James, and we've have, of course, had this overnight address from President Zelensky. What has he had to say?
Well, he referenced the strikes this morning where he talked about the world's need to unite, really, in the face of Russian terror. It's a repetition of what he strives to do. But he's highlighted, really, a number of international objectives he's trying to achieve. He is trying to, firstly—and I think it's quite obvious, he's trying to secure continued Western support in terms of getting it signed off by US Congress. There is growing skepticism across the Atlantic about where this war might head, whether a Ukrainian victory is possible. As far as President Zelensky is concerned, it is. And there's also another political prize he is striving for, his country's potential membership to the European Union. There is a vote next month on whether negotiations can officially begin involving all member states. And he has acknowledged, President Zelensky, that there are difficult talks ahead. So he is trying to both secure the Western support that is so central to Ukraine's continued efforts to both not just defend but potentially liberate its territory, but he is also trying to go after what his country has wanted for the best part of a decade politically to join the European Union.
Ukraine also wants to join NATO. I think both are still some way off. But the progress that Ukraine has made in that time in terms of domestic reforms, grappling with its age-old corruption issues, I think Ukraine has come a very long way. It is clear President Zelensky is feeling energized in both of those efforts despite the difficulties that surround those aims.