Explosions rock Kyiv as Russian drones target capital during morning rush hour
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A series of explosions were heard in Kyiv on March 16 as Russia launched a rush hour drone attack on Ukraine's capital.
Air raid sirens sounded at 8:26 a.m. Explosions and air defenses were heard around 20 minutes later, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground.
According to Telegram monitoring channels, up to 30 Shahed-type drones are targeting energy infrastructure. Reports suggested Russian missiles were also targeting Kyiv, though this has not been confirmed.
Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force's communications department, later told the Kyiv Independent that no missiles were used in the attack.
"Debris from a drone has fallen in the very centre of the capital. There are no fires or casualties," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on Telegram. "The enemy attack on Kyiv is ongoing. Stay in shelters," he added.
Klitschko later said debris from downed drones had also fallen in the Solomianskyi and Svyatoshynskyi districts in the west of the city.
The attack caught many Kyiv residents during the morning commute and at the start of the work and school day.
"I was waiting for my first class when the air raid siren started," said Oliana Pavlyshyn, an 18-year-old first-year philology student at Taras Shevchenko National University. "We went down to the basement and stayed there for almost the entire air raid."
Pavlyshyn said the morning strike was unusual compared with the more frequent nighttime attacks.
"Usually they attack at night, but this time it was in the morning when we were already at university," she said, adding that several classes were cancelled. "You could hear the explosions clearly. It was very loud."
Speaking about the broader impact of the war, she added: "I'm only 18 years old. I want to live. But many Ukrainians right now are not living. We are surviving."
The all clear sounded in Kyiv at 9:57 a.m.
Russia last launched a missile and drone attack against Ukraine just two days ago in the early hours of March 14. Over the winter, Russia frequently targeted civilian infrastructure in an attempt to freeze Ukraine into submission.
