Explosions echo over Kyiv amid rare daytime Russian drone attack

A rescue worker walks inside apartments destroyed by a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel)

• Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were hurt as a result of the attack
• Earlier on Tuesday, a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people in the Russian border region of Belgorod

KYIV/MOSCOW: Explosions echoed over Kyiv on Tuesday and Ukrainian officials urged residents to take shelter during a rare daytime Russian drone attack on the capital.
Russia has pummelled Ukrainian cities for more than four years since invading the country, mainly launching long-range aerial barrages at night.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard air raid sirens ring out and at least one loud boom over the city shortly after 14:15 (1115 GMT).
City officials announced that air defense systems were operating against Russian drones flying over the city.
The air raid alert was lifted after 49 minutes, according to an official notification system.
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were hurt as a result of the attack.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people in the Russian border region of Belgorod, local authorities said, while a Russian attack killed one in central Ukraine.
A major oil refinery in southern Russia was also set ablaze, triggering a local state of emergency as thick black smoke billowed over the coastal town of Tuapse.
“Three civilians were killed following drone attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces,” Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram, adding that three others were wounded.
The drones targeted a car, killing a man and a vehicle in another area where a man and a woman died, he said.
Since the start of its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been regularly bombing Ukraine, especially key infrastructure sites.
Russian attacks killed a 40-year-old man and wounded five more in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig, the head of the wider Dnipropetrovsk region wrote on social media.
Kyiv says its attacks are mainly targeting Russian energy infrastructure to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance its military.
The Tuapse oil terminal on Russia’s southern Black Sea coast has been hit multiple times in recent weeks.
A fire raged at the site for several days last week after a Ukrainian drone attack, causing what locals called “oil rain” to fall from the sky.
Authorities ordered people to limit outdoor activity and close their windows as thick black streaks were left across the street, on animals and vehicles after the rain.
Kyiv and Moscow have stepped up their aerial attacks over recent months, with both sides mainly targeting energy infrastructure.