Russia has launched an overnight air strike on Kyiv just hours before a Nato summit that is to tackle security threats from Moscow, says Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air defence system shot down all the drones launched by Russia before they reached their targets in the early hours of Tuesday, according to Kyiv.
“The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month,” Serhiy Popko, a head of Ukraine’s military administration, said in a post on social media platform Telegram.
There was no immediate information about damage or casualties.
Air raid alerts blasted over the capital city for an hour and longer in other parts of Ukraine’s east, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
Witnesses in Kyiv reportedly heard blasts resembling the sound of air defence systems intercepting targets during the air raid.
It comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, which starts on Tuesday, and will be attended by Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden and other alliance leaders.
Countries are expected to discuss further support for Kyiv in its counter-offensive and ways to put the military alliance on the path to face down future threats.
Among topics set for discussion is an accelerated path for Ukraine to join Nato, which Ukraine’s foreign minister on Monday said has been agreed by member states.
Russia berated the alliance and its leading power, the United States, over their support for Ukraine and has warned that Ukraine’s potential membership of Nato would be met with a “clear and firm” reaction.
The Russian invasion of its neighbour, now in its 503rd day and with no end in sight, has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and turned many cities in Ukraine’s east and south into piles of rubble.
For a round-up of the key points expected to be discussed at the Nato summit on Tuesday, click here.
