Kiev, 7 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - At least two people were killed after debris from downed drones hit residential buildings in Kiev overnight, sparking fires across several districts, the civil protection agency and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday.

The victims were found as firefighters tried to put out blazes in apartments which started after drone parts crashed into a five-storey residential building. Meanwhile, air raid sirens continued to sound in the capital in the morning, with Klitschko instructing residents to take cover.

Klitschko said that eight other people were also injured, including four children. The civil defence authorities spoke of five injured. Teymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, also spoke of five injured on Telegram.

In one district, parts of a residential building were destroyed, Tkachenko said. In another, flats on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors of a 10-storey building caught fire. A supermarket was also hit.

Ukrainian media reported explosions heard during a citywide air raid alert.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that Russian air defences had intercepted nine Ukrainian drones overnight. No damage or casualties were immediately reported.

The claims could not be independently verified.

Flight operations at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport were temporarily restricted overnight due to security concerns, according to Russia's TASS news agency, which cited aviation authorities.

Russia is set to hold its annual Victory Day military parade on Friday, commemorating the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Ahead of the celebrations, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary three-day ceasefire in Ukraine beginning Thursday.

Ukraine has dismissed the move as symbolic and, along with the United States, continues to call for a minimum 30-day ceasefire.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years. As part of its defensive campaign, it has also been attacking targets in Russia, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Photo: Volodymyr Zelensky Facebook