In this photo provided by Ukrainian emergency services on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, rescuers extinguish a fire in a building resulting from a Russian drone attack in kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

kyiv, Ukraine — Dozens of Russian drones targeted the Ukrainian capital kyiv in an eight-hour nighttime attack, authorities said Thursday, as Russia continued its relentless bombardment of Ukraine after nearly 1,000 days of war.

Isolated Russian drones as well as swarms of drones entered Ukrainian airspace from various directions and at various altitudes, officials said, in what was an apparent attempt to strain Ukraine’s air defense and security systems. disrupt the residents of the city.

Ukrainian air defenses “neutralized” three dozen drones, but falling debris caused damage to a hospital as well as residential and office buildings in kyiv, local authorities said. A fire broke out on the 33rd floor of a building.

At least two people were reportedly injured.

Drone attacks on kyiv have occurred almost daily in recent times, with nighttime explosions and the continuous drone of drones keeping the city on alert. Russia is deploying about 10 times more Iranian-made Shahed drones than this time last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week.

Ukrainian forces struggle to compete with Russian military might, which is far more numerous and better equipped. Western support is crucial for Ukraine to sustain this costly war of attrition. Uncertainty over the duration of this aid increased this week with the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. Trump has repeatedly challenged U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia is trying to reduce Ukraine’s fighting appetite and undermine Western support for kyiv by prolonging the conflict.

The Russian barrage mainly involves Iranian Shahed drones, which terrorize civilians, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the National Center for Combating Disinformation.

Russia seeks to retain and store its missiles, which are far more powerful than drones, Kovalenko said Thursday, although Russia has used its missiles effectively in its campaign to destroy Ukraine’s power grid.

Additionally, drone attacks are gradually depleting Ukraine’s air defenses, making it more vulnerable to future missile launches.

On Thursday, Russia launched five attacks using missiles and glide bombs on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least one person and injuring 10 others, including a one-year-old child, according to the press service. of the regional military administration. The attacks damaged residential buildings and a hospital, the statement said.

Power outages were reported in the Zhytomyr region, which borders kyiv to the west, following a Russian attack, according to energy company Zhytomyroblenergo.

Another Russian drone attack injured one person in the southern city of Odessa, regional governor Oleh Kiper said, and drone debris damaged an 11-story residential building.