A surprise attack by Russian drones was carried out on Kyiv

On the night of March 23, three people were killed in Kyiv as a result of a strike by Russian drones, including a five-year-old girl and her father, according to Ukrainian officials. Fires broke out as unmanned aerial vehicles hit residential buildings.

The attack on the Ukrainian capital began around 21:00 local time and lasted until 02:00. Drone attacks continued in other regions of Ukraine until the morning.

“According to available information, three people, including a 5-year-old child, have died. Another 10 people were injured. Among the deceased are a father and his young daughter. The youngest among the injured as a result of the Russian attack is only 11 months old,” said Kyiv officials.

According to the Ukrainian armed forces' air force, on the night of Sunday, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine using 147 drones and drone imitators (devices designed to increase the load on air defense systems, which are not equipped with explosives).

By morning, 97 unmanned aerial vehicles had been shot down, and another 25 drone imitators lost their location without any negative consequences (Ukrainian military use this term when drones disappear from radar screens).

The Ukrainian armed forces reported that many drones flew towards the capital, while monitoring channels indicated that they numbered from dozens – between 20 and 60.

“The explosions are not stopping,” wrote one woman living in the capital on social media. “This is some kind of Armageddon,” added another.

Some videos shared by users show strong fires.

BBC Ukraine service reporters also reported hearing explosions, the activation of air defense systems, and the sounds of "Shaheed" drones.

One of the published videos shows a fire occurring on one of the upper floors of a residential building, with loud screams heard. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, a woman was killed in this building on the night of Sunday, and 27 people were evacuated from the house.

In the same area, the window, floor, and roof of one of the apartments on the sixth floor of another 16-story building were damaged.

In the Podil district of Kyiv, a fire on the 20th floor of a 25-story residential building was extinguished, covering an area of 20 square meters.

In the Holosiivskyi district, a four-story office-warehouse building burned down, with the fire covering an area of 2,000 square meters. Here, a residential trailer and trucks burned over an area of 60 square meters. Another person was killed in this area.

“While examining the ruins in the Holosiivsk district, rescuers found the body of a child. The body of a man had previously been found in the same area,” the State Emergency Service reported.

In the Desnyansky district, rescuers extinguished a fire that broke out in an open area in a forested area. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, six cars were damaged. According to Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv military administration, a fire broke out in a dining establishment in the Dnipro district.

Rescuers also reported extinguishing a fire after the collapse of one of the enterprises in the Brovary district. Two people were injured as a result of the collapse of ruins in the Kryukivshchyna village of Bucha district, damaging three private residential buildings.

In recent days, Russian drones have been launching mass attacks on residential areas of Ukrainian cities. Among others, Odessa and Kropyvnytskyi have also suffered serious strikes.

On the night of March 22, Russia also attacked Zaporizhzhia with missiles, resulting in the deaths of three people – a child and their parents.

Russian officials have not yet commented on the information regarding the strikes on Kyiv.

^{Consequences of the strike directed at Kropyvnytskyi, March 20}