Kyiv faced a heavy drone assault, resulting in significant damage throughout the capital. Further details are emerging.
On the night of October 17, the Russian Armed Forces attacked Kyiv with multiple waves of Shahed kamikaze drones. Additionally, the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned about the threat of strikes from Russian ballistic missiles. As a result of the shelling, a residential building was damaged in the Desnyansky district in the northeastern part of the capital. Details about the nighttime attack were reported by Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko and the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Serhiy Popko.
The military administration noted that Russian drones attacked Kyiv from several directions and came in multiple waves. The Air Forces of Ukraine neutralized all enemy drones: they were destroyed in the sky over the capital or at the approaches. This successful operation was made possible by the coordinated efforts of air defense systems (PVO) and other units, as noted by the KMVA. The exact number of UAVs that posed a threat to Kyiv residents on the night of October 17 is still unknown; further details will be provided later by the command.
As a result of the Russian strike, a residential building in the Desnyansky district was damaged. According to the military administration, there were no injuries or fatalities; windows and interiors of apartments were damaged in the three-story building.
October 17 Shelling — Details of the Attack on Kyiv
The Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned of a threat to Kyiv and the Kyiv region the evening before, on October 16. In the region, the air raid alert lasted for eight hours—from 19:41 to 04:12. Meanwhile, in the capital, the alarm sounded four times: twice on the evening of October 16 (from 20:00 to 22:00), and twice again on the night of October 17 (from 01:53 to 4:11). The KMGA calculated that the total duration of the alert was about three hours.
On the page of Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko, details about the situation in the Desnyansky district were shared in the morning appeared. According to the official, a kindergarten was damaged as a result of the Russian shelling—windows were shattered, but there were no injuries. He did not confirm damage to the apartment building, assuring that debris from the UAV fell in an open area. The previous message from the mayor was about kamikaze drones that attacked Obolon and Pushcha-Vodytsia in the evening: air defense systems were active in those areas.
On the Telegram page of the Kyiv OVA, there are reports about the nighttime alert on October 16-17 and the operation of air defense, which occurred around 3:39 AM. The administration urged Kyiv residents not to publish photos and videos of the Defense Forces' activities. There are no further details about the consequences of the shelling at this time.
It is worth noting that the previous large-scale attack of Shahed kamikaze drones by the Russian Armed Forces occurred on the night of October 16. According to the data from the Air Forces of Ukraine, the Russians struck Ukraine with 136 UAVs: explosions were reported in 14 regions, from the east to the Chernivtsi region. In the Ternopil region, a large fire broke out at an industrial facility due to the shelling, confirmed by the OVA. One wave of drones threatened Kyiv, as reported in the Telegram channel of the KMVA. Officials announced an air raid alert that lasted over 12 hours and reported on the combat operations of air defense forces in the sky over the capital.
We remind you that on October 16, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War discussed the modernization of the "Shaheds" being undertaken by the Russians. Meanwhile, Ukrainian women from the volunteer unit "Witches of Bucha" shared their impressions from the drone hunting.