Three explosions have been heard in the centre of Kyiv, as Ukraine said it had shot down a number of Iranian-made Shahed drones. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 10 Shahed drones had been shot down by Ukraine's air defences, while emergency services had been dispatched to the central Shevchenkivskyi district. Air raid siren alerts sounded for about 20 minutes before the blasts. City officials confirmed two administrative buildings were damaged in a drone attack, saying there was still no information about potential injuries or fatalities. The attack comes amid reports that the United States is close to finalising plans to send its Patriot air defence system to Ukraine in a potentially pivotal move in the conflict. Kyiv Mayor Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram that there were explosions in a central district of the capital, which is home to many government agencies and buildings. Ukrainian authorities said that during the last round of attacks on December 5, more than 60 of 70 strikes were intercepted by air defence systems. The reported blasts come as Ukraine has faced a barrage of Russian air strikes across the country, largely targeting infrastructure, in recent weeks as well as continued fighting along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions. US officials said on Tuesday that the United States was poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed Western leaders as recently as Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia. The Patriot would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to Ukraine to help repel Russian aerial attacks in the war between the countries that erupted with Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24. US officials also said last week that Moscow has been looking to Iran to resupply the Russian military with drones and surface-to-surface missiles. On Tuesday, more than 50 countries and international organisations at a conference in Paris pledged €1 billion in aid for Ukraine to keep the country in power and fed through the winter. — Agencies
