Blasts rock Kyiv after Ukraine Air Force sounds air raid alarms

UPDATED: Apr 29, 2025 06:48 IST

A series of blasts were heard in Kyiv on Tuesday midnight after Ukraine's air force issued air raid alerts for the capital, according to report from Reuters.

The Ukrainian military confirmed that air defence systems were activated, working to intercept incoming threats.

RUSSIA CLAIMS IT SHOT DOWN 51 UKRAINIAN DRONES

Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence units destroyed 51 Ukrainian drones in the space of less than three hours late on Monday, most of them in the western Kursk region. A ministry statement posted on the Telegram messaging app said its units had destroyed 40 drones in the western Kursk region between 8:20 p.m. and 11 p.m. Moscow time (1720-2000 GMT).

RUSSIA DECLARES 72-HOUR CEASEFIRE

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II as the US presses for a deal to end the three-year-old war. However, Kyiv insisted on a longer and immediate truce.

The Kremlin said the truce will run from the start of May 8 and last through the end of May 10 to mark Moscow's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 — Russia's biggest secular holiday. Ukraine, which has previously agreed to US President Donald Trump's proposal of a full 30-day ceasefire, dismissed Putin's move as window dressing.

"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, according to the ministry. He emphasised that Kyiv is ready for a "lasting, reliable, and complete ceasefire" for at least 30 full days.

(With inputs from AP, Reuters)

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