Ukraine says downed its own drone in Kyiv after device 'lost control'

The Ukrainian air force said it downed its own drone that lost control over Kyiv on Thursday, after a series of explosions shook the capital.

The explosions, which resonated for about 15 to 20 minutes in Kyiv, followed a wave of overnight Russian attacks between Wednesday and Thursday.

"At about 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) a Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial device lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region... the target was destroyed!" the air force said, adding it was establishing the cause of a "likely" technical malfunction.

At the time of the explosions, AFP journalists saw a drone that air defence was attempting to shoot down, while the Kyiv city military administration said "air defence is at work."

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Journalists saw a cloud of black smoke in the air, just as the Kyiv city military administration announced the air raid alert was over.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said "firefighters put out a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey shopping centre" in the Solomyansky district.

The fire spread over 50 square metres (538 square feet) and caused some superficial damage but no victims were reported, Klitschko said.