Dozens of firefighters today rushed to put out the flames in the city near capital her Ukrainian following strikes carried out by what local officials say are Iranian-made drones, often known as “kamikaze drones.”

Six drones attacked a building overnight in the village of Belaya Chergva, about 75 kilometers south of Kyiv, said Oleksiy Kuleba, governor of the Kyiv region.

Ukraine has reported a series of Russian strikes using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones over the past three weeks, but the Belaya Chergva strike was by far the closest to the capital, Kyiv.

Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, and the Kremlin does not comment.

“There was a loud noise, a piercing sound. I heard the first blow, saw and heard the second. There was a rumble, and then an explosion,” said 80-year-old Vladimir, who lives across the street from the damaged house.

Other residents told Reuters they heard four explosions in a row, followed by two more about an hour later.

Ukrainian forces appear to have been caught off guard by drones that Kyiv says Moscow began using on the battlefield in September.

Speaking on television today, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ikhnat said the drones were launched from occupied territories in southern Ukraine and that six more drones were shot down before reaching their target.

“This is a new threat to the entire[Ukraine]defense force and we must use every means available to try and deal with it,” Ekhnat said, comparing the drone’s small size to an artillery shell.

The attacks caused the inhabitants of Bela Chergva to frantically seek shelter as air raid sirens sounded.

“I can’t understand what these Russians are thinking. I don’t know when we’ll be able to drive them out of our territory. Only tears and sadness for my Ukraine. That’s all I can say,” said Lubdila Rasevska, 74.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}