According to an analysis of government data by BBC Verify, Kyiv is experiencing its most frequent daily air raid alerts since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. A new Russian tactic involves striking the capital increasingly during the day, whereas most attacks previously occurred at night. This causes significant disruption to schools and businesses, forcing residents to seek shelter up to 13 times a day. Alerts range from a few minutes to nearly four and a half hours.
Data from the state-run Kyiv Digital app shows that since late August, when round-the-clock Russian attacks began, sirens in Kyiv have sounded an average of 10 times per day. In the seven days starting August 27, 76 air raid alerts were declared in the capital. For comparison, the highest comparable weekly figure in 2022 occurred during the week of February 27, with about 66 alerts.
A direct comparison is difficult because data from the first days of the full-scale invasion was sometimes incomplete. However, the overall trend, according to the BBC, is clear. At the BBC’s Kyiv office, the sounds of air defense systems and drone explosions are heard almost continuously.
New Russian strike tactics
The intensification of attacks is accompanied by the use of new high-speed jet-powered drones. Some reach speeds of nearly 595 km/h, three times faster than the older propeller-driven Shahed drones. According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia launched 2,800 high-speed drones in August — nearly double the number in July.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an emergency meeting with ministers and military command to address the production of new high-speed interceptors to counter these drones. “You all see that the Russians have changed the tactics of their strikes on Ukraine and, starting from August, have been terrorizing our people, our cities and villages much more intensively,” the president said.
Spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat reported that currently, only about 60% of the drones are being shot down. He noted that countering jet-powered drones requires new interceptors with specialized guidance systems.
“The key issue is the availability of guidance systems, as this is one of the decisive elements. It is not enough for an interceptor to just fly fast — it must hit the target. This is very important,” Yuriy Ihnat said.
Some military sources believe this threat could become significantly more serious than Russian ballistic missiles, which are already largely penetrating Ukraine’s depleted defenses, including systems like Patriot. Ukraine is using fighter jets, anti-aircraft guns, and man-portable air-defense systems to combat the jet drones.
Analysts note that Russia’s goal is not only to weaken the morale of Kyiv but also to damage the Ukrainian economy by striking businesses and warehouses.
Alerts changing daily life in Kyiv
Constant alerts force students to leave classrooms, employees to leave offices, and public transport passengers to seek alternative routes home. Some metro trains must stop during alerts because they cross the Dnipro river on surface sections. Consequently, passengers have to switch to buses.
Alerts are also disrupting the start of the new academic year. When an alert is declared at one of Kyiv’s universities, some students head underground, while others remain outside, as these situations have become so routine.
Student and teacher-in-training Diana said she sleeps poorly at night and her daily schedule is constantly disrupted. “Sometimes it is difficult because most of the day I have to be in safe places, like the metro or somewhere underground. It is a terrible time, but, thank God, we are alive. We live day by day,” she said.
Another student, who is studying to be a chemistry teacher, said he has grown accustomed to the alerts over the years of the war, but they continue to complicate life. “We are annoyed by the sirens because they are constant. It destroys the quality of our education… We cannot study normally,” he noted.
Following a drone strike on a residential area in central Kyiv, students at a nearby school were evacuated due to fears of further explosions or a so-called “double tap” attack.
17-year-old Sofia told the BBC that living in Kyiv now is scary and very difficult. During the interview, another siren sounded. “We need to go. It is very dangerous for you to stand on the street. There could be a second explosion,” she said.
New rules for different threat levels
To reduce the impact of alerts on work, education, and city travel, the government has approved a new notification system with two threat levels. A yellow level will signify a drone attack with a lower level of danger and fewer restrictions on work and movement. A red level will be used for more dangerous missile attacks, which will entail stricter restrictions.
Over the weekend, attacks on Kyiv briefly paused while US representatives were in the city for talks on a potential end to the war. At the same time, constant Russian strikes are fueling fears that Ukraine and its capital may enter a difficult winter less prepared, as Russia is expected to refocus its attacks on energy infrastructure.
Source: BBC World
