Mass Russian drone attack on Kyiv leaves residential buildings, office damaged

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

A Russian drone strike on Kyiv on Nov. 2 caused a fire in a 16-story residential building and an office building, local authorities reported.

Ukrainian forces downed 39 out of 71 Shahed-type drones and other identified drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.  Twenty-one other drones were "lost," and five more flew back towards Russia, it added.

"All drones that threatened the city were neutralized," Kyiv City Military Administration said, without specifying the number of drones shot down over the capital.

The air raid alert in Ukraine’s capital lasted more than 5 hours, with explosions reported in Kyiv and surrounding areas.

The blaze, which broke out on the upper floors of the residential building in the city's Sviatoshynskyi district, spread across an area of roughly 50 square meters, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported. The fire has been extinguished.

The attack damaged several apartments on the building’s 15th and 16th floors, with the top floor suffering the most severe destruction.

First responders evacuated 18 residents, according to local authorities. One of the injured was transferred to the local hospital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Debris from downed drones hit the office building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district, causing a fire on one of the floors, the mayor reported.

Debris was also found in the city's Solomianskyi, Dniprovskyi, Pecherskyi and Holosiivskyi districts. The attack damaged several cars, according to local authorities.

No casualties were reported. One elderly woman suffered from shock and a policeman was poisoned with burning products.

The Nov. 2 attack is the latest in a series of drone strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s capital. Russia attacked Kyiv with drones on Oct. 29, injuring six people in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district, authorities reported.

Russia launched over 2,000 attack drones targeting both civilian and military sites across Ukraine last month, Kyiv’s military reported on Nov. 1, as Kremlin forces continue their offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York