Kyiv police praised for shooting down drone, but officials say leave air defence to military

When three Kyiv police officersnormally tasked with patrolling the Ukrainian capital's streets heard the menacing buzz of a drone overhead early Monday morning, they quickly pulled out their AK-74 assault rifles and started rapidly firing dozens of rounds of ammunition into the sky.

"It was very fast. We didn't have such a lot of time to make a decision, so we decided to shoot," said Oleksandr Kravchuk, a five-year veteran of the city's police force.

The officers told CBCNews that they were finishing up their night shift on Monday morning when they got a call telling them the capital was under attack.

Kravchuksaidthey then heard two explosions nearby and decided to block off a road near one of the sites, because people would soon be on their way to work.

As the officers were stationed on a bridge, Kravchuksaidthey all started to hear what sounded like a "moped" racing through the sky.

It was an Iranian-made Shahed 136 drone, and according to Kyiv's mayor, it was one of 28 that targeted the capital on Monday.

The triangular-shaped drones, which are often described as "kamikaze" or "suicide" drones, are designed to drive towardtheir target and explodeon impact.

In Monday's attack, one slammed into a highrise apartment building in the city centre, killingat least four people.

Kravchuk said he estimated the low-flying drone was about 500 metres away when the officersfirst heard itand about 200 metres away when they began shooting.

He said they aimed their high-powered weapons just ahead of the drone, trying to estimate the speed that it was travelling.

'No one was injured. So it was only happiness'

Kravchuk saidhe emptied his 30 rounds of ammunition before they saw the drone plummet toward the ground.

As it exploded, the officersaid hefelt the earth shake.

"It was a lot of adrenalin,"he said. "I had a very good feeling that we dropped it down."

WATCH | Kyiv police officer describes shooting down drone:

After drones strike Kyiv, police officer describes shooting one down

2 years ago

Duration 3:20

Footage shows police shooting at a drone in Kyiv, part of a barrage of attacks on the capital. Patrol officer Oleksandr Kravchuk talks to CBCs Briar Stewart about a similar attack.

The officerslater saw a chunk of the drone they took down. Scrawled across it in black marker, the phrase "for Belgorod" was written.

Belgorod is a Russian region that borders Ukraine and is a key staging area for the country's military. The region has come under fire before, and on Sunday officials saidat least threepeople wereinjured after blasts near an airport.

Ukrainian officials say the majority of drones were destroyed before they reached their targets on Monday.

While it is difficult to verify that claim, dramatic footage of the police shooting down the drone has been released by the Kyiv police department's press service.

The sequence was recorded on a body camera worn by one of the officers and what appears to be a nearby security camera.

Yaroslav Veletnik, who wore the camera thatrecorded the footage, said that after the explosion, the officersstarted to run away from the blast site.

A few cars had been destroyed, so the police checked to see if anyone was hurt.

"No one was injured," Veletnik told CBCNews. "So it was only happiness."

Appeal to citizens

While the officers are being praised by members of the publicfor their quick action in shooting down the drone, Ukrainian officials are urging citizens not to try it themselves.

When Russian troops rolledinto Ukraine in February, thousands of weapons were handed out to citizens willing to defend the country.

But officials are now urging residents not to attempt toshoot down the dronesand to leave the task up to the military and the air defence crew.

On Ukrainian television, Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskysaid, "I want to appeal to the townspeople, to those who own weapons. Do not shoot with a pistol or carbine" at drones. "This can lead to injury, to more trouble."

Kravchuk, the police officer, said he believes it wasappropriate for the police to shoot down the drone in this case, but he added thatit should never be attempted by civilians.

"The bullets fly a very long distance and they can shoot somebody," he said.

The government has said that Monday's attacks, which came exactly one week after more than 80 missiles rained down on Ukraine, are an example of why NATO allies needto send the countryair defence systems.

Iran issues denials

UkrainianForeign Affairs MinisterDmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday he was urging President Volodymyr Zelenskyyto cut ties with Iran for supplying Russia with the drones.

Iran has denied these claims, but Kuleba saidthere is plenty of evidence.

Ukraine contends that Russia purchased 2,400 dronesand then rebranded them.

Officials say more than 100 of themtargeted the country within the last week.

"Tehran bears full responsibility for the destruction of relations with Ukraine," Kuleba told a news conference.

The United Stateshas accused Iran of lying about the drones, and several European Unionministers have called for Iran to be further sanctioned.

When asked about the weapons on Tuesday, a Kremlin spokesperson said that "only Russian equipment is being used."