Russian military forces unleashed a drone assault on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv late Wednesday night, sparking a blaze at a hotel located on a prominent central boulevard and leaving wreckage strewn across two separate districts of the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko took to Telegram to report that the roof of a hotel on Shevchenko Boulevard had caught fire. Images circulating online showed flames burning out of control at the top of the structure.
The mayor confirmed that emergency response teams had been sent to the scene to address the situation.
At least one witness reported hearing explosions in the western parts of the city, adding to the widespread alarm among residents.
Mayor Klitschko also noted that drone fragments had come down both in the city center and in a northeastern suburb of Kyiv.
Additional footage shared on unofficial Telegram channels captured residents flooding into underground metro stations seeking shelter from the attack.
Earlier in the evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had issued a warning that intelligence information pointed to a likely overnight strike on the country. He announced he was ending his visit to Dublin ahead of schedule in response to the threat.
