Kyiv attacks enter fifth day as Russia unleashes jet-powered drones

Kyiv,UPDATED: Aug 31, 2026 15:54 IST

Russian forces kept up attacks on Kyiv and nearby cities for a fifth straight day on Monday, as Ukraine faced a sustained wave of strikes involving jet-powered drones. The attacks have disrupted daily life in and around the capital, while repeated hits on warehouses and food distribution centres have left some supermarket shelves bare and raised concerns about supplies.

Russia has stepped up its aerial assaults in recent months, more than four years after invading Ukraine. In the Kyiv region, near-constant air raid alerts in recent days have badly affected normal routines. Two major attacks in July killed almost 50 civilians, and a strike on Saturday killed at least 38 people. With schools due to reopen on Tuesday, it remained unclear how many parents would send their children, though schools have air raid shelters and online classes are also possible.

Late on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media, "Right now, Russia's tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians - first and foremost, our people." Ukraine, for its part, has targeted major online retailers and oil facilities in Russia, with those attacks causing shortages for ordinary Russians, though they have been less deadly for civilians.

On Monday morning, black smoke hung over Kyiv. In Brovary and Boryspil in the Kyiv region, aerial attacks hit several warehouses and wounded four people, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine was finding it difficult to stop the fast-flying jet-powered drones that Russia is increasingly using. Between Thursday and Sunday, Russia launched almost 1,500 drones at Ukraine, and about 800 of them were jet-powered, he said.

Zelenskyy said combat aircraft were currently being used to try to stop the jet-powered drones while Ukraine worked on better technology. "Four companies have developed the relevant interceptor drones, and one company has the most successful technology," he said, without giving further details.

Repeated Russian strikes on food distribution centres and retail hubs have also disrupted logistics in Ukraine, feeding public concern over shortages. Zelenskyy adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said on social media on Monday that Ukraine would not go hungry. He urged people not to give in to rumours, disinformation or panic, and said producers and retailers were restructuring supply chains. He added that European countries would be ready to make up any shortfall in food supplies if needed.

At the same time, Russia has continued attacking Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter. Officials said a large overnight drone attack hit the northern Chernihiv region, which borders Russia, damaging an energy facility. Viacheslav Chaus, head of the regional military administration, did not give details of the damage. On Sunday, the Russian Defence Ministry said it was preparing "massive strikes" on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that its forces had shot down 239 Ukrainian drones overnight over 14 Russian regions, occupied Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea. In another development, acting Belgorod regional governor Alexander Shuvayev said a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday evening killed three people.

The latest attacks underlined the pressure both sides are trying to place on civilian life, with Kyiv and the surrounding region facing repeated strikes, supply disruption and uncertainty before the school term, while cross-border Ukrainian attacks continued to hit targets inside Russia.

With PTI Inputs

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