Russia's airstrikes causing Kyiv to face record air raid alerts
What's the story
Kyiv is experiencing an unprecedented number of air raid alerts since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The BBC Verify analyzed Ukrainian government figures and found that the city is now facing more daily alerts than ever before. Unlike previous patterns where attacks were mostly at night, Russia has now adopted a new strategy of daytime strikes, disrupting schools and businesses.
Daily impact
Alerts last from a few minutes to nearly 4-and-a-half hours
Kyiv residents are now forced to seek shelter up to 13 times a day, with air raid alerts lasting from a few minutes to nearly four and a half hours.
This has severely disrupted daily activities, forcing students out of classrooms and workers out of offices.
Commuters are also affected as overland trains come to a halt during these alerts.
System update
Government plans new 2-tier warning system
To tackle the situation, the government is planning a new two-tier warning system. This will allow people to continue their work, travel, and study based on the scale of the threat.
The change comes after a brief pause in attacks over the weekend when US envoys were in Kyiv for peace talks.
Drone threat
Newer, faster attack drones are harder to shoot down
The frequency of Russian strikes has also increased due to the use of newer, faster attack drones powered by jet engines.
Some of these drones can fly at speeds of nearly 595km/h, three times as fast as the older Shahed drones driven by propellers, making them much harder to shoot down.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held an emergency meeting with ministers and commanders to discuss producing high-speed missiles capable of intercepting these fast-moving threats.
Defense challenges
Ukraine can currently shoot down only 60% of drones
Ukraine's current defense systems can only shoot down about 60% of these new drones.
Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, stressed the need for new interceptors with specialized guidance systems to tackle this threat.
Analysts cited by the BBC believe that Russia's aim is not just to weaken Kyiv's morale but also to damage Ukraine's economy by targeting businesses and warehouses.
Economic impact
Education and business affected due to frequent sirens
The continuous air raids are also affecting education as schoolchildren have to leave classes frequently.
Students at Drahomanov Ukrainian State University in central Kyiv have adapted to these alerts but admit it disrupts their schedule.
Businesses too are affected as they have to shut down every time a siren goes off, causing chaos for commuters relying on public transport.