Explosion heard in Kyiv, reports of Russian kamikaze drone targeting capital

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

A large explosion was heard in Kyiv on the evening of July 17, with preliminary reports suggesting a Russian Shahed drone targeted the capital.

In a post on Telegram, Mayor Vitali Klitschko initially said as a result of the attack, a fire had broken out in between a "residential building and an educational institution" in the Darnytskyi District, in the southeast of Kyiv.

He did not say if the fire was caused by a direct hit or debris from an interception by air defenses.

But in a later post, Klitschko said emergency services called to the scene did not find a fire, but did say they were responding to "the downing of an enemy UAV."

Air raid sirens sounded across the capital at 22:13 p.m. Kyiv Independent reporters across the city heard a single large explosion at 22:58 p.m.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York