Kyiv Drone Strikes by Russia Result in Four Fatalities and Fires

Impact of the Drone Attacks

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Russian drones attacked targets in Kyiv early on Friday, killing four people, injuring at least 19 and inflicting considerable damage on dwellings and infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

Casualties and Injuries

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration and Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that four people had been killed in the strikes, which began just before midnight (2200 GMT). Klitschko said 19 people were injured, with 14 of them being treated in hospital.

Damage to Infrastructure

One of the dead, Klitschko said, was an emergency medic who had arrived at a suburban apartment hit by two drones in succession. Four members of the same crew were injured in that incident.

Response and Alerts

Two apartment buildings had been hit on the east bank of the Dnipro River, causing major damage, he said. In one building, an entire entrance had been destroyed, and a high-rise building had also been badly damaged in a central district.

Klitschko said the attack "caused damage to critical infrastructure, with disruptions to the water supply in some districts".

Tkachenko said one drone had triggered a fire in a shopping centre, while another had fallen outside a medical facility. Both officials said fires had broken out in several city districts.

An air alert was in effect in the capital for five hours.

Another Russian attack struck an infrastructure target in western Ukraine's Lviv region, officials there said on Friday.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Chris Reese, Michael Perry and Tom Hogue)