Rescuers work at the site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Ternopil region, Ukraine, 16 October 2024;
Credit: Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters
KYIV (Reuters) - Russia launched a series of drone and missile attacks overnight targeting Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, igniting a fire at an industrial facility in the western Ukrainian region of Ternopil, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday 16 October 2024.
By 04:40 GMT, Russia launched some 136 attack drones targeting Ukraine and three missiles, with Ukraine's air defence destroying 51 of the drones, Ukraine's air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
20 of the drones were still in Ukrainian skies while 60 were unaccounted for, possibly intercepted by Ukraine's warfare, the air force said.
Most of Ukraine was under air raid alerts Wednesday morning, with the Kyiv region remaining under alert since 17:30 GMT on Tuesday 15 October 2024, according to military data. The air force said Russia was launching drones in several waves and in different directions.
The 51 drones were destroyed over fourteen Ukrainian regions, including the Kyiv region.
It was not clear what happened to the three missiles.
The "large-scale fire" in the Ternopil region was since extinguished, but it involved 46 fire fighters and twelve units of special equipment to put it out, the military administration of the region said on the Telegram messaging app.
"There were no injuries," the administration added.
It was not immediately clear what facility was on fire.
All drones targeting Kyiv earlier in the night were destroyed and there were no reports of damage or injuries, but there was fresh risk of attacks, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration said on Telegram.
