Ukraine war: Zelenksy praises air force after Russia's largest drone attack yet

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised his country's aerial defence forces aft Russia's largest drone onslaught connected Kyiv since the warfare began.

"You are heroes," said Mr Zelensky, aft subject commanders said astir of the alleged kamikaze drones launched by Russia were brought down.

However 2 radical were killed and respective others wounded from debris.

Russia has stepped up its attacks connected Kyiv successful caller weeks, seeking to overwhelm the capital's defences.

The overnight attack - Russia's 14th aerial onslaught connected Kyiv this period - came arsenic the radical of the superior prepared to observe Kyiv Day, the day of the city's instauration much than 1,500 years ago.

In a singular objection of resilience, radical took to parks, bars and restaurants successful the superior to observe the holiday.

Kyiv's politician Vitaliy Klitschko earlier described the overnight onslaught arsenic "massive", saying drones were "arriving from respective directions astatine once".

Some buildings, including a baccy factory, caught occurrence aft being deed by falling drone fragments.

Elsewhere, successful the metropolis of Zhytomyr successful the north-west of Ukraine, astatine slightest 26 residential buildings were damaged arsenic good arsenic schools and aesculapian units, according to online quality tract Ukrayinska Pravda.

But subject commanders said Ukraine's aerial defence forces had changeable down 58 retired of 59 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia.

Praising his aerial force, Mr Zelensky said: "Every clip you sprout down force drones and missiles, lives are saved... you are heroes."

He aboriginal added successful his evening address: "Most of the demolition was averted, and astir of the lives that could person been taken by these shaheds [drones] were saved. I americium grateful to each and each idiosyncratic who made it possible."

Kyiv nonmigratory Anastasiia said that she was dormant astatine location erstwhile she was woken up by the dependable of a drone flying "very close" to her window.

"I past saw a large flash of airy wrong the flat... it was truthful agleam that I could not spot anything," she told the BBC, adding that the dependable of the explosions came "two oregon 3 seconds aft the flash. It was precise loud, similar thunder".

"The agleam airy was transformed into full darkness. I wanted to cheque if determination was immoderate damage. I could not recognize what happened. I was successful daze truthful I did not consciousness scared. I could not recognize if I and my level were OK."

In its caller attacks, Russia - which launched its full-scale penetration successful February 2022 - has been utilizing alleged kamikaze drones arsenic good arsenic a scope of cruise and ballistic missiles.

Analysts accidental Moscow is seeking to deplete and harm Ukraine's aerial defences up of its long-expected counter-offensive.

On Saturday, 1 of Ukraine's astir elder information officials told the BBC the state was acceptable to motorboat specified an operation.

Oleksiy Danilov, caput of the almighty National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said an battle to retake territory from President Vladimir Putin's occupying forces could statesman "tomorrow, the time aft time oregon successful a week".

Ukraine has been readying a counter-offensive for months. But it has wanted arsenic overmuch clip arsenic imaginable to bid troops and to person subject instrumentality from Western allies.