Explosions rock Kyiv in pre-dawn air attack

A series of explosions rang out before dawn Wednesday in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The city’s mayor said emergency workers were dispatched to one site in the central part of Kyiv.

Residents woke to air raid sirens around 6 am. The explosions came about 30 minutes later, part of a grim pattern that’s become familiar to Ukrainians nationwide since Russia began launching airstrikes at the country’s power systems more than two months ago.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post that Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 10 drones that were targeting the capital and the surrounding region.

He said emergency workers raced to one site in Kyiv, but did not provide additional details.

With Russia suffering setbacks on the battlefield, the Russian military began large-scale air attacks on civilian infrastructure on Oct. 10. The attacks have damaged many parts of the electricity grid nationwide and led to daily power cuts throughout the country.

In the most recent attack, Russia fired Iranian-made drones that knocked out power to the southern port city of Odesa and much of the surrounding region.

Ukraine’s power companies have been quick to make repairs. But they say the damage is cumulative, and the country cannot generate as much electricity as it needs this winter.