<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Russia has launched a new massive overnight drone attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, killing at least one person, local officials have said.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kyiv's mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said a man died when drone wreckage fell near a petrol station. A woman was injured.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said air defences had shot down more than 20 drones heading towards Kyiv - but a "new drone wave" was approaching.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russia has recently stepped up its attacks on Kyiv, seeking to overwhelm the capital's defences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier on Sunday, air raid alerts were activated in 12 regions of Ukraine, from Volyn in the north-west to Dnipropetrovsk in the south-east.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a post on social media, Mr Klitschko urged Kyiv residents to "stay in shelters", warning that the night would be "difficult".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said at least two high-rising buildings in different districts of the capital were on fire after being hit by falling drone fragments.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Emergency workers have been deployed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In its recent attacks, Russia has been using so-called kamikaze drones as well a range of cruise and ballistic missiles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The attacks come ahead of a widely expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday, one of Ukraine's most senior security officials has told the BBC the country was ready to for such an operation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the powerful National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said an assault to retake territory from President Vladimir Putin's occupying forces could begin "tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Ukraine has been planning a counter-offensive for months. But it has wanted as much time as possible to train troops and to receive military equipment from Western allies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">In the meantime, Russian forces have been preparing their defences in the seized regions of south-eastern Ukraine.<span style="font-size: 1rem;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">BBC</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>