KYIV, Ukraine – The chilling buzz of Iranian-made Shahed drones. That sound has become part of the new normal in Ukraine.
Russia has unleashed a wave of drone attacks across the country.
The United States is now preparing new sanctions against both Russia and Iran, while speculation is rising that Russian President Vladimir Putin is about to open a new front in the north.
It’s a sound that everyone in Kyiv dreads to hear: the buzzing of slow, low-flying drones homing in on their targets. Since Ukraine’s successful attack on the Russian bridge to Crimea, the sound the drones make has become increasingly common across this country.
Explosions reverberated across Kyiv on Monday as a new wave of Russian kamikaze drone attacks hit the city. Ukrainian forces claim to have shot down several of the drones, while others struck residential areas in the city center.
Meanwhile, there were reports of up to 9,000 Russian conscripts arriving in Belarus, boosting speculation that Russia is preparing to open a new front against Ukraine in the north, possibly with the help of Belarussian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodomy Zelenskyy warned the result would only be more Russian body bags.
“Thousands of Russians are dying, and their lives mean nothing to their president,” Zelenskyy said. “They are thrown into attacks with ‘anti-retreat forces’ at their backs. And when they die they are left to rot, not even counted. They have nothing to live for, and they lose the lives given to them by God so shamefully.”
“Once the air raid sirens stop, the residents here in Kyiv emerge from their basements and shelters and go about their business, striving for some sense of normalcy even amidst the continued assaults by Russia,” CBN Contributing Correspondent Chuck Holton said. “Last week, a missile landed here next to this children’s playground, but it hasn’t stopped the kids from coming out to play. It’s the new normal for people here in Kyiv and across this country.”
“I think people just carry on as normal as much as they can,” Chris York, a Kyiv resident told CBN News. “Like you said the missile on Monday, one of them hit just up the road there but the traffic is already going.
“In the park here, there are people busing, buying coffees,” York continued. “You can buy food and sit and drink a coffee in the park. And there was an air raid siren just about 10 minutes ago, as soon as that’s over, people just come out from the metro or the shelters and they just carry on with what they’re doing. It’s all you can do really.”
Churches were full here on Sunday with the faithful praying for an end to the conflict. And in Kyiv’s central square, a drummer led people in an impromptu praise and worship service.
“Ukraine is winning the war,” York explained. “I think you look at what’s happening now. Russia annexed or said that they were annexing territories a couple of weeks ago and right now, Ukraine’s already liberating quite significantly large areas of that. So, I absolutely believe they can win and they are winning. It’s just a case of how long and also a case of what Putin decides to do in the meantime.”
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