Firefighters in Kyiv confront flames from a building hit by a drone (Picture: Getty)

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv faced a barrage of drone attacks yesterday as Russia launched a night raid.

Only two were injured and there were no deaths as forces shot down 18 of 23 self-exploding drones.

But officials said some hit ‘critical infrastructure’, leading to more blackouts across the region.

The attack took place as Russian president Vladimir Putin met his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, which provided forces with a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine almost ten months ago.

It came three days after air strikes that Ukrainian officials described as one of Russia’s biggest assaults on Kyiv since the war began with a failed bid to seize the capital.

Russian president Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko following their meeting in Minsk (Picture: Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Kremlin via Reuters)

Yesterday was St. Nicholas Day, which marks the start of the Christmas holidays in Ukraine and is when children typically receive their first presents hidden under their pillows.

‘This is how Russians congratulated our children on the holiday,’ Serhii Kruk, the head of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, wrote on Telegram. He attached photos of firefighters barely visible amid fierce flames shooting from an infrastructure facility that was hit.

More: News

Fragments of wreckage from the downed drones damaged a road and broke windows in a block of flats. One struck the home of Olha and Ivan Kobzarenko, aged 84 and 83, on the outskirts of the capital.

Ivan sustained a head injury and their dog, Malysh, was killed.

‘I know that I am not alone,’ Olha said. ‘Everyone is suffering. Everyone.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Officials said some hit ‘critical infrastructure’, leading to more blackouts across the region.