Russian drone attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region have persisted for five days, causing disruptions with almost constant air raid sirens. The assaults on Monday resulted in four injuries and damages to warehouse facilities, an apartment building, and a retail store in the Kyiv area, as reported by regional Gov. Tymur Tkachenko on Telegram.
The region has been plagued by swarms of drones, many of which are jet-powered, leading to casualties, destruction of homes, and warehouses. A drone strike by Russia on an ammunition depot last Friday triggered explosions, resulting in the death of 38 people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Sunday that the ongoing drone attacks were intended to wear down the Ukrainian population. Within four days, Russia launched almost 1,500 drones at Ukraine, with over half of them being jet-powered, according to Zelenskiy.
Furthermore, a Russian strike caused a fire at a terminal operated by private courier Nova Poshta in the southern Odesa region, as confirmed by Gov. Oleh Kiper on Monday. In the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih, an industrial business was targeted by a jet-powered drone attack, injuring two individuals, as reported by a local official on Monday.
Both Ukraine and Russia have escalated their attacks on economic targets in recent weeks, focusing on major e-commerce companies and retailers. Russia has targeted warehouses belonging to top supermarket chains, postal services, and home-goods stores in Ukraine. In retaliation, Ukraine struck a logistics hub in Russia’s Yekaterinburg with a drone attack, according to the local governor on Monday.
Russia has increased its air attacks during the summer, capitalizing on Ukraine’s limited interceptors capable of downing ballistic missiles. The use of daytime drone waves has disrupted daily life for Kyiv residents, causing interruptions in the metro service and affecting daily routines.
During the alerts, dozens of passengers were left waiting on crowded platforms in Kyiv until the train services resumed crossing the Dnipro River. Among them was Yulianna Oliynyk, a 38-year-old nurse and psychologist, who was attempting to reach a school with her two sons before the start of the academic year. They were stranded on a metro platform due to another air raid alert, forcing them to spend the night with relatives.
Oliynyk expressed her frustration, stating, “I’m already thinking maybe we should just take sleeping bags and sleep in the metro at the station near the lyceum … Last year it was difficult at school and now I honestly don’t even know what to do.”