Ukraine downs 89 Russian drones

Ukraine's air force said yesterday it repelled one of Russia's largest long-range drone attacks of the war overnight, shooting down all 89 drones launched at Kyiv, the surrounding region and other areas.

The attack, which came more than 29 months after Russia's full-scale invasion, primarily targeted Kyiv and the surrounding region where authorities said more than 40 drones were shot down. An air raid alert remained in place.

No civilian or critical infrastructure took a direct hit, but debris damaged the roofs, windows and facades of 13 private residences in the region, authorities said. Some 11,500 residents sheltered for safety in metro stations in the night as the drones came in several waves from "all possible directions," city authorities said.

"This is one of the most massive attacks by Shahed-131/136 strike drones," the air force said, naming the type of drone it says Russia has used in the thousands for strikes on Ukraine.

Military spy agency spokesman Andriy Yusov said in televised remarks that Russia had used a "significant" number of decoy drones that were not loaded with explosives to try to deplete Ukraine's air defences and also identify their locations.