Kyiv: Russian drone and missile attacks are increasingly disrupting daily life in Kyiv as the Ukrainian capital faces air attacks during both the day and night.
For about 10 days, air attacks have occurred during both daytime and nighttime, making it harder for residents to work, travel, shop and send children to school. The change has disrupted routines that people in the capital had gradually developed during more than four years of Russia's full scale invasion.
The latest escalation came on Friday, September 4, when a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service, known as the SBU, in central Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said 12 people were injured. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the drone was aimed at the office of acting SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad. Poklad was not injured.
The SBU headquarters is on Volodymyrska Street, near the historic St Sophia Cathedral, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. The strike was one of the most prominent attacks on a government security facility in central Kyiv since Russia's full scale invasion began.
The attack followed more than a week of repeated Russian air attacks that have increasingly interrupted daily life in the capital.
Kyiv has faced Russian air attacks throughout the war, but residents had adapted to a pattern in which many attacks took place at night. The recent shift towards attacks during the day has made it harder for people to maintain normal routines.
Public transport has repeatedly been affected by air raid alerts. Metro services can be suspended, while roads become crowded as commuters look for other ways to travel. Railway services have also been disrupted during attacks, leaving some passengers to continue their journeys on foot.
For many residents, even simple activities such as buying food have become more difficult. Supermarkets may close when air raid sirens sound, forcing customers to leave before completing their shopping. Retail representatives have also reported shortages of some dairy products as attacks affect warehouses and supply routes.
Schools are facing similar problems. On the first day of the new academic year, students at some Kyiv schools moved to underground shelters after air raid sirens sounded. Some schools are prepared to continue lessons in shelters when attacks occur.
The attacks have also created a growing humanitarian concern.
The World Health Organization said an air attack on September 3 destroyed one of its main humanitarian medical warehouses in the Kyiv region. No WHO personnel were injured, but the organisation was assessing damage and determining which medical supplies had been lost.
WHO said three warehouses it used in different regions of Ukraine had been destroyed by airstrikes in three months. It said another warehouse in the Kyiv region was damaged during a large scale wave of attacks in July.
The attacks are also becoming more difficult to counter as Russia increases its use of faster, jet powered drones.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said Russia launched more than 2,800 jet powered drones at Ukraine in August. He said their use had increased fivefold in July compared with June.
Ihnat said Ukrainian forces intercepted about 60 percent of the newer drones, compared with more than 90 percent of slower conventional drones. These figures are Ukrainian military assessments and have not been independently verified. Reuters and Al Jazeera have both reported the figures.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 121 strike drones and a Kh 31P missile against Ukraine overnight from September 3 to September 4. It said 103 drones were shot down or suppressed by 9:30 a.m. on September 4. About half of the drones were reported to be jet powered.
The attacks have also caused casualties outside the capital. Ukrainian authorities reported deaths and injuries in several regions during the same period, including Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and other areas. These figures were provided by Ukrainian authorities and were still developing as assessments continued.
The United Nations has recorded a worsening civilian toll across Ukraine. UN human rights monitors said at least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured across the country in July. The number of people killed was the highest recorded in a month since May 2022. The UN said long range missiles and drones accounted for 38 percent of civilian casualties in July.
The intensified attacks are taking place as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue.
US President Donald Trump has sent envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv as part of renewed efforts to advance a possible peace agreement. Zelenskyy has proposed that Russia and Ukraine pause airstrikes during the envoys' visits and has called on Moscow to support the proposal.
Russia says its attacks have military purposes, while Ukraine accuses Moscow of seeking to damage civilian morale and pressure the Ukrainian government. Ukraine and Russia have both denied deliberately targeting civilians.
For Kyiv's residents, however, the effects of the attacks are increasingly part of everyday life. Air raid alerts can interrupt school lessons, journeys to work, shopping and other ordinary activities.
As another winter approaches, concerns are growing about the possible impact of continued attacks on electricity, water, transport and other essential services.
Despite the pressure, residents continue to work, study and carry on with daily life. But the growing frequency of daytime and nighttime attacks is making normal life increasingly difficult in a city that has lived through more than four years of Russia's full scale invasion.