Explosions echoed over the Ukrainian capital on Monday as air defenses launched a rare daylight attack on Kiev with a barrage of Russian artillery shells.Agence France-Presse reported that anti-aircraft batteries fired continuously during the rush-hour attack, lighting up the sky with flashes and sending plumes of smoke billowing over the city. Residents scrambled for cover as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept incoming missiles and drones.Russia has stepped up long-range drone and missile strikes in recent months, with energy infrastructure a key target.Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the wreckage of the downed drone landed in the center of the capital, but there were no reports of fire or casualties.“Fragments of the drone fell in the center of the capital. No fire or casualties. Enemy attacks on Kiev continue,” Klitschko wrote on social media, as further explosions were heard.The Ukrainian Air Force also warned of a “high-speed target” approaching the capital from the north near the Russian border.Meanwhile, Russian officials said Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Moscow over the weekend.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense systems intercepted a large number of Ukrainian drones flying towards the capital.“In the past two days, air defense forces destroyed about 250 enemy drones directly on the route approaching Moscow and on the second line leading to Moscow,” Sobyanin said on Telegram.
U.S. peace efforts stalled by Middle East war
The escalation comes as U.S.-led efforts to bring Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table appear to have stalled as conflicts in the Middle East expand following the Iran-Iraq war in 2026.Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, resulting in the displacement of millions of people on both sides and the death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.The war in Ukraine and now the conflict involving Iran has highlighted the growing role of relatively cheap drones, which can strike targets far from the battlefield, including energy facilities and major cities, at a fraction of the cost of traditional fighter jets.While Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles, artillery and drones, Kiev has increasingly responded with long-range drone strikes and sabotage operations deep into Russian territory, targeting military commanders, oil refineries and energy infrastructure.
