Russian drone attack in Kyiv Oblast injures child

Russia launched a drone attack against Kyiv Oblast the evening of Jan. 16, causing a fire and injuring a child, Mykola Kalashnyk, acting head of the regional military administration, reported.

Air defense units intercepted targets over an unnamed town in Kyiv Oblast, Kalashnyk said. Falling wreckage from the downed drones injured a 12-year-old boy.  

The boy has been hospitalized and is receiving medical attention, Kalashnyk said. No other casualties were reported.

The falling debris also caused a fire to break out in a cafe and the attached boiler room. The fire, which covered an area of around 200 square meters, has now been contained. The blast broke windows in a nearby building.  

Russian drone attacks against Kyiv Oblast and the city of Kyiv surged in late fall 2024. Drone strikes have targeted residential areas and critical energy infrastructure in the region.

As Moscow intensifies strikes, it also aims to ramp up domestic drone production, with plans to manufacture 6,000 Shahed-style attack drones per year at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.

Ukrainian military releases footage of rare Russian reconnaissance drone downing

“A rare bird was shot down by anti-aircraft gunners and pilots of the 63rd Brigade — a Russian experimental reconnaissance drone Merlin-VR,” the brigade’s statement read.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova