Overnight, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, experienced explosions as Russia launched a new series of drone and missile attacks on the country.

According to BBC, air raid sirens were heard throughout Ukraine while the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, reported that the latest kamikaze drone attack was the largest so far, resulting in five people being injured. Additionally, one person was killed in the southern Odesa region, and the Ukrainian Red Cross confirmed that its warehouse was among the targets hit.

This latest attack on Kyiv was the fourth in eight days, and it occurred just a day before Russia's Victory Day celebrations.

Victory Day is an annual holiday that commemorates the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II, a conflict that the Kremlin has attempted to draw parallels with baselessly, especially since its invasion of Ukraine in the previous year. Despite a lull in Russian assaults on civilian targets in recent months, which allowed Kyiv to remain untouched for several days, Moscow has escalated its air attacks in the past week, likely anticipating a forthcoming counter-offensive by Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian military, the recent Russian air raids, which lasted over four hours and began soon after midnight, involved Shahed kamikaze drones of Iranian origin that swarmed across the country. Vitaliy Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, stated that Russia had launched nearly 60 drones in the largest such attack yet. While all 36 drones over Kyiv were reportedly destroyed, five people suffered injuries from falling debris resulting from downed drones.