Shahed Debris Hits Kyiv Heating Plant as Air Defense Responds
On the morning of Friday, May 16, Ukraine’s air defense systems were activated in Kyiv during an air raid alert prompted by the threat of Russian attack drones, with later reports confirming a fire ignighted when debris from a downed drone fell onto the grounds of a heating facility.
“Air defense forces are working to eliminate the threat in the skies over Kyiv,” the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) reported at 6:35 a.m.
The city administration released operational information at 6:55 a.m. regarding the Russian air attack on the capital. According to preliminary data, there were no reported casualties in the city, though the information is still being clarified.
A fire was recorded in a non-residential area of the Sviatoshynskyi district, and firefighters are currently working at the scene, the KMVA stated. The administration also reported debris falling onto a roadway. “Emergency services are on their way,” they added.
Later, a KMVA update reported that drone fragments had fallen directly on the grounds of a heating facility in the Sviatoshynskyi district, with windows and vehicles in a nearby residential area damaged.
Emergency services are operating at the affected sites, and information about possible casualties is still being clarified as of 7:50 a.m.
As previously reported, overnight Russian forces launched a wave of Shahed-type drones toward Ukraine from two axes. Due to the threat of strikes, air raid alerts were declared across multiple regions. It was later confirmed that air defenses were actively engaged in the Kyiv region, where enemy drones were heading toward the capital.
Earlier yesterday Kyiv Post reported that as Ukraine and Russia prepare for peace talks in Turkey on Thursday, May 15, Russian forces launched overnight drone strikes targeting civilian areas across Ukraine, striking multiple regions in a large-scale assault that caused damage but no reported casualties, officials said.
The Sumy region in the northeast was hit particularly hard, with Russian forces launching about 10 combat drones at a village in the Sumy community. Civilian infrastructure was targeted, including residential buildings, a kindergarten, shops and vehicles.
In western Ukraine, air raid sirens began sounding early Thursday as the drone attacks spread across the country. A warning map showed alerts moving westward throughout the morning.
Source: Kyiv Post