Nighttime drone attack hits Kyiv as Putin heads to Belarus

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Multiple explosive drones attacked Ukraine’s capital before dawn Monday as Moscow pursues its campaign to torment the invaded country from the air amid a broad battlefield stalemate.

In a sign that Russia might be seeking ways to bolster depleted forces, President Vladimir Putin traveled to Belarus, which provided the Kremlin’s troops with a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine almost 10 months ago.

The drone attack came three days after what Ukrainian officials described as one of Russia’s biggest assaults on Kyiv since the war started. Moscow has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since October as part of a strategy to try to leave the country without heat and light during the bitterly cold winter.

It has kept up that effort despite Western sanctions and the supply of Western air defense systems to Ukrainian forces.

Russia launched 23 self-exploding drones over Kyiv while the city slept, but Ukrainian forces shot down 18 of them, the Kyiv city…