Russia attacks Kyiv, eastern Ukraine with drones; air raid sirens heard

Kyiv and parts of eastern Ukraine came under Russian drone attacks, the latest in the series of strikes that have continued for several days over the New Year period.

Late Sunday night, air raid sirens were sounded in Kyiv as well as in the regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

According to the Kyiv region's Governor Oleksiy Kuleba, the attack began shortly before midnight and the Iranian-made Shahed drones were "targeting critical infrastructure facilities".

Kyiv's military issued a warning of the latest attacks just after 1 a.m. on Monday, the BBC reported.

"Air attack on Kyiv... Air alert is on in the capital," it announced on the Telegram social media site.

Serhiy Popko, the city's military administration head, told people to stay in shelters.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in the city's northeastern Desnyanskyi district and said emergency services were attending.

"An injured 19-year-old man was hospitalised in the Desnyanskyi district of the capital... The main thing now is to stay calm and stay in shelters until the alarm is off," the BBC quoted the Mayor as saying.

In his nightly video address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said that 45 "Shaheds" were shot down on the first night of the year.

"Gratitude to the air defence of our Ground Forces for another 12 downed Iranian drones," he added.

Sunday night's strikes come after a barrage of attacks on New Year's Eve, which killed at least one person in Kyiv.

Russia has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure for several months, destroying power stations and plunging millions into darkness during the country's freezing winter.