Fire breaks out in Kyiv after Russian air attack, Ukraine's military says

Fire in central Kyiv from Russian drone attack prompts air defense response, extent of damage unclear.

A fire broke out in central Kyiv as a result of a Russian drone attack, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said early on Sunday (November 3, 2024) after the military said air defences were trying to repel a drone attack.

"Information about the scale of the fire, destruction or potential injuries is being clarified," Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not immediately clear whether the fire in the Shevchenkivskyi district was caused by a direct drone hit or falling debris from a destroyed drone.

“Emergency crews were dispatched to the district looking for the site of the fire,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Reuters witnesses reported hearing blasts and seeing plumes of smoke rising from above residential buildings.

Shevchenkivskyi district near Kyiv's centre is a busy area with a cluster of universities, restaurants and tourist attractions.

Kyiv, its surrounding region and the vast majority of the eastern half of Ukraine were intermittently under air raid alerts for most of the night, according to alerts issued on social media by the Ukrainian military.