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The Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other places were bombed by Russia once more on Monday. The Russian military used a “suicide drone” to attack the central building of Kyiv with a huge explosion, killing three people. Other parts of the country were also attacked, especially in the south.
In the early hours of today, October 17, a series of explosions were heard in Kyiv, and the air raid siren sounded shortly before the first explosion.
An AFP reporter in Kyiv saw a drone crash into a building and two kneeling police officers tried to shoot it down with their weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social networks, “The enemy has been terrorizing civilians throughout the night and throughout the morning. Drones and missiles are attacking Ukraine. A residential building in Kyiv was hit.”
“The enemy attacked our city, but they might not defeat us,” he added. “The occupiers will face legal punishment and condemnation. And we will win.”
Kyiv’s military administration said it had “recorded four strikes”. A residential building in the “Shevchenko” district of the city center was hit.
Earlier, the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko, said on the telegram group Telegram: “According to preliminary information, two people were buried under the rubble.” “Eighteen people were rescued from this building”.
The State Railways of Ukraine earlier confirmed that the attack took place “near” Kyiv Central Station.
Andrei Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, called the Russian attack “desperate” and called on allies to immediately provide “more weapons to defend Ukraine’s skies and destroy the enemy.”
“In the past 13 hours, the Ukrainian army shot down 37 Iranian Shahed-136 drones and 3 Russian cruise missiles,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Twitter.
In the south of the country, Ukraine’s military said it shot down 26 Shahd 136 drones on Sunday night, which Moscow bought from Iran, according to the West and Ukraine, despite Tehran’s denials.
A week ago, on October 10, Russia launched a massive bombing of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities not seen in months, targeting infrastructure, killing at least 19 people and wounding 105, sparking strong international outrage.