Multiple explosions in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as drones are shot down Ukraine

A total of 11 Iranian-supplied drones were shot down Kyiv And the surrounding area at dawn on Wednesday, in what the Ukrainian authorities described as a continuation of Russia’s “energy terrorism” against the country.

The Kyiv city administration said two of its administrative buildings were damaged by falling debris from a drone. There were no victims from the drone wreckage, a spokeswoman for Kyiv rescue services, Svetlana Vodolaga, told Ukrainian news Suspline.

The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, wrote in a post on Telegram that there were explosions in the central district of the capital, Shevchenkivsky, which houses several government agencies and buildings, and that 10 Iranian-made drones had been shot down. City authorities said the 11th drone was later shot down shortly after 8 a.m.

Russia continues energy terrorism in the country. “But we are getting stronger every day,” Oleksiy Kuleba, the head of the Kyiv region, wrote on Telegram. Kuleba warned that the air raid alert was not over and advised residents to stay in shelters.

Vitaliy Ponnchenko, the head of Kiev’s neighboring Zhitomir region, warned that a second wave of drones might be on its way.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, posted a muscle emoji with an acronym for anti-aircraft systems, referring to the work of Ukraine’s air defenses.

The UK ambassador said she was “moving away from the windows and hearing the explosions outside”.

Sirens sounded just before 6 am Kyiv time, and just over 10 minutes later the first explosions were reported. At around 6.30am, residents of central Kyiv released videos in which the sound of a drone can be heard flying overhead, followed by an explosion. Residents also posted pictures of plumes of smoke on the capital’s skyline.

Ukraine has faced a barrage of Russian airstrikes across the country in recent weeks, largely targeting infrastructure.

US officials said Tuesday they are close to approving the delivery of a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, agreeing to an urgent request from leaders desperate for more powerful weapons to shoot down incoming Russian missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressured Western leaders as recently as Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia. The Patriot missiles will be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system ever given to Ukraine by the West.

US officials claim that Moscow has been looking to Iran to resupply the Russian military with drones and surface-to-surface missiles.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this story