Kyiv suffers second night of drone attacks; Ukraine claims gains in Dnieper River battle

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv endured a second successive night of drone attacks on Sunday, local officials said, while its forces claimed to have gained ground in the ongoing battle with Russian troops on the banks of the Dnieper River.

Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram that a barrage of ammunition was fired by Shahed drones over the capital.

“The enemy’s UAVs were launched by many groups and came to attack Kyiv in waves, from different directions, while constantly changing the vectors of movement along the route,” Popko said.

Air raid sirens were sounded several times in Kyiv, and no casualties or critical damage were recorded in the city according to currently available information, he added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian army spokeswoman Natalia Humeniuk told Ukrainian television, according to multiple local media reports, that forces on the Russian-controlled bank of the Dnieper River in the southern region of Kherson had been pushed back by between 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) and 8 kilometers.

Fierce fighting has erupted over the past week after Ukrainian forces crossed the vast river into the Russian-occupied eastern bank.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Monday for a surprise visit. He is expected to hold a series of meetings with senior leaders.