Kyiv repels largest Russian drone assault of 2024, no casualties reported

Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted more than 40 drones during a seven-hour assault on Kyiv, marking the largest such attack in 2024.

Jul 31, 2024 - 07:27

Kyiv repels largest Russian drone assault of 2024, no casualties reported

kyiv 31 july 2024

The Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) reported that Russian forces conducted the most extensive drone attack on Kyiv this year, with air defense systems intercepting over 40 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the early hours of 31 July.

According to the KMVA, the assault targeted the Ukrainian capital with “many dozens” of drones, marking the seventh such attack on Kyiv in July alone. The air raid alert lasted for more than seven hours as drones approached the city in waves from multiple directions.

“This was one of the most significant attacks since the full-scale invasion began and the largest one this year,” Serhii Popko, head of the KMVA.

During the second wave of drone strikes, Russian UAVs continued to attack Kyiv in waves from specific directions. However, not a single drone achieved its goal.

In general, over four dozen Russian UAVs were shot down in the airspace of Kyiv and on the outskirts of the capital during these two waves.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that a residential building burned down in the Kyiv Oblast at night as a result of falling debris.

He emphasized the Russian military’s evolving tactics, noting on 30 June that “the aggressor is trying new tactics—it is looking for the right time, methods, and means to hit Kyiv.”

This attack follows a pattern of intensified drone assaults on the Ukrainian capital. On 30 June, Popko warned via Telegram about the changing approach of Russian forces, suggesting a deliberate strategy to probe Kyiv’s defenses.

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