NNA – Kyiv was targeted early Wednesday by the quot;most powerfulquot; barrage of missiles and drones since the spring, authorities said, with two people reported dead, as Russia claimed it destroyed four Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea carrying up to 50 soldiers.
More than 20 missiles and drones were quot;destroyed by air defence forcesquot; overnight, the Kyiv City Military Administration wrote on Telegram, describing the aerial assault as quot;the most powerfulquot; to hit the city since the spring.
An AFP reporter heard at least three loud explosions in the centre of Kyiv around 5:00 am (0200 GMT).
Two people had died as a result of falling debris, Sergiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, wrote on Telegram.
Another person was injured and was being given medical assistance, he said.
Russian forces had launched groups of Iranian-made Shahed attack drones at the capital from different directions, and launched missiles from aircraft, the Kyiv city military administration said.
Earlier, Moscow#39;s defence ministry said a Russian aircraft quot;destroyed four high-speed military boatsquot; in the Black Sea around midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT Tuesday).
The boats had been carrying quot;landing groups of Ukrainian special operations forces with a total number of up to 50 people,quot; the ministry said on Telegram.
It did not give details on exactly where in the Black Sea the incident took place.
Early Wednesday, Russian defences also repelled a quot;seaborne drone attack nearquot; near Sevastopol Bay in Crimea, the local Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev was cited as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.
Sevastopol is the base of Russia#39;s Black Sea fleet.
Both Ukraine and Russia have ramped up activity around the strategic waterway after a United Nations-brokered deal to ensure safe navigation for grain ships collapsed last month.
In recent weeks, Kyiv has attacked Russian ships in its waters and the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Last week, Ukraine said its forces had flown the country#39;s flag in Crimea during a quot;special operationquot; to mark its second wartime Independence Day.
Moscow#39;s defence ministry also said last week that one of its jets destroyed a Ukrainian quot;reconnaissance boatquot; near Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea.–AFP
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