Drones swarm Kyiv in unrelenting night assault

Kyiv endured another intense night of drone attacks as Russia launched one of its heaviest bombardments in recent months, marking a sharp escalation in its air campaign against Ukrainian cities.

For several hours after midnight on Monday, drones buzzed over the Ukrainian capital from nearly every direction. Searchlights swept the sky while tracer fire lit up the night as air defence units attempted to intercept the barrage.

Loud explosions could be heard across the city—some marking successful interceptions, others signalling drones reaching their targets.

"Most of them were headed specifically for Kyiv," said Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force.

He told the Ukrainian RBC news agency that 315 aerial projectiles were detected during the attack, including 250 strike drones and seven ballistic and cruise missiles.

Residents, already used to nightly alarms, described a growing emotional toll. "It’s become more intense," said Katya, a Kyiv resident. "It used to be easier emotionally. Now it’s somehow become harder."

Ukraine’s air force says the majority of the projectiles were Shahed-type drones or variants designed to overwhelm or mislead defence systems.

Originally supplied by Iran in 2022, these drones are now produced in Russia under the name Geran. Ukrainian security officials estimate that Russia has produced 25,000 of these drones at a facility in Yelabuga, with another 20,000 assembled using Iranian parts.

Artem Dehtiarenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s security service, said Russian engineers have been instructed to modify the drones to cause more damage and casualties.

"Russian engineers have been tasked with increasing their destructive power in order to maximise devastation and civilian casualties," he said.

"In addition, efforts are being made to make the Geran drones less vulnerable to Ukrainian air defences."

The latest strike damaged apartment blocks, office buildings, and cultural landmarks. According to Ukraine’s culture ministry, a blast wave from one explosion affected St Sophia’s Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ancient 11th Century mosaics and frescoes.

The ministry said the wave damaged a plastered cornice on the eastern façade but did not reach the interior.

"However, any vibrational impact caused by explosions poses a serious threat to the integrity of the structure," the ministry warned.

The scale of Russia’s drone campaign has grown sharply over the past year. In the three months before August last year, 1,100 drones were fired. By October, that monthly figure had risen to over 2,000.

In May this year, for the first time, Russia launched more than 4,000 drones in a single month. According to Ukrainian air force data, Russia is now firing an average of 256 projectiles every 24 hours, the vast majority of them drones.

Away from the frontlines, Ukrainian cities like Kyiv are now facing the most sustained bombardment since the early days of the full-scale invasion.