The Ukrainian Air Force said that it had shot down 13 explosive drones launched from the south of Russia overnight after air raid sirens sounded for hours in Kyiv.
The air force said on Telegram that Russian forces had launched 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones from the Bryansk region northeast of Kyiv, 13 of which were shot down by Ukrainian forces.
Russia has launched missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure since October, spurring Kyiv to strengthen its air defense system with Western help.
In Kyiv, air strike signals went out in the early hours of Monday and authorities said the air defenses were triggered by “air targets”.
The head of the city’s military administration, Sergiy Popko, said that the drone had been headed for Kyiv but that Ukrainian air defense forces were down and did not cause injuries or attack infrastructure.
Ukraine has become better able to withstand Russian airstrikes after receiving a new missile defense system from Western allies including the United States and Britain.
But a Russian drone strike in late February killed two people and wounded three in the western Ukrainian city of Khmelnytski.
The US announced last month $2 billion in additional security aid to Kyiv, after agreeing in December to deliver high-performance Patriot air defense missiles.
An AFP reporter recently saw Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv guarding the city against drones armed with pre-World War II machine guns.