Civilians were “running” and “screaming” amid deadly drone attacks launched by Russia across Kyiv early Monday, according to an eyewitness at the scene.
Vitalii, a man in his 20s, told CNN he was at a train station when the deadly strikes hit the Ukrainian capital city. He declined to give CNN his last name due to security concerns.
Vitalii said he saw “Shahed” drones flying overhead — the name given to Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones that Kyiv and US intelligence claim Moscow is using in their military assault on Ukraine.
“We were at the railway station (during the attack), we just arrived. We just got off the train and saw this Shahed flying over us. We saw a flash and an explosion,” he said.
“We went to the basement, and when we got out, we saw a second hit over there, where there is smoke now. We had been staying in the basement for about two hours, and then there was another explosion. When it was quiet, we took a taxi and left.
“People first started coming out of the basement. After, when there was another explosion, everyone went back to the basement. People were running, screaming. There was panic. People were scared because they didn’t understand what was going on.”
He added: “We have seen the explanation in internet about how it (‘Shahed’) works, it buzzes. We have heard, seen it. It flew just above us — a triangular one. And it exploded.”
Anna works in a local coffee shop close to where the attack took place. She declined to give CNN her last name due to security concerns.
“I learned about the attack from the news. At first I decided not to go work, so I arrived only around 10:30 a.m. (local time),” she told CNN.
“It was scary, but not as scary as at the beginning of the war. That is, we are somehow used to it.
“I had a feeling this morning that something was going to happen, because I was here last Monday, I saw what happened. Thank God, I wasn’t here at the moment when everything happened.
“Last week we did not work because of this situation because we were afraid of new attacks. Today I really start thinking, whether it is safe,” she added,
“I’m scared, but it’s hard to believe that it (drone or rocket) could fly here.”
