At least 13 people were killed and dozens more injured after Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, overnight, pounding the city with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a wave of attacks that left residential buildings in ruins.
The bombardment, which Ukrainian officials described as one of the deadliest strikes on the capital this year, triggered explosions across Kyiv for hours, forcing thousands of residents to seek shelter in underground metro stations and bomb shelters.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko condemned the attack as a “large-scale” assault targeting the country overnight.
“Russia once again carried out a cynical, massive attack on Ukraine,” she said, confirming that at least 13 people had lost their lives.
President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier cut short an official visit to Dublin after intelligence warned of an imminent Russian strike.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones during the overnight attack. Air defence systems intercepted most of the incoming weapons, but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations, causing widespread destruction.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the strikes targeted military facilities, energy infrastructure and airports in Kyiv and other regions, describing the operation as retaliation for what it called Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.
Moscow also claimed to have intercepted 327 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Ukraine, meanwhile, said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region during the same period. Regional authorities in Russia reported one death and four injuries after a drone attack damaged an industrial facility.
Kyiv Declares Day Of Mourning
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced Friday as a day of mourning following the deadly assault, saying damage had been recorded across virtually every district of the city.
Emergency crews continued searching through the rubble of a collapsed nine-storey residential building on the eastern side of the capital, where rescuers feared more victims could still be trapped.
City authorities said about 90 people, including children, paramedics and ambulance personnel, were injured in the attacks.
Residents described terrifying scenes as missiles and drones struck residential neighbourhoods.
“Our house is on fire. The attack is still going on,” Kyiv resident Iryna Plekhova wrote on social media, saying neighbours had been rescued from burning buildings while emergency services struggled to respond during the bombardment.
Images from across the capital showed apartment blocks engulfed in flames, shattered windows, wrecked vehicles and smoke rising from multiple districts.
Allies Renew Calls For More Pressure On Moscow
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha renewed Kyiv’s appeal for additional air defence systems from Western allies, describing the overnight bombardment as “a night of horror.”
The attacks also prompted neighbouring Poland to scramble fighter jets as a precaution, while Finland briefly imposed flight restrictions over parts of the eastern Gulf of Finland before lifting them.
The latest assault came as both sides intensified long-range strikes deep inside each other’s territory. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian energy infrastructure in recent months, contributing to fuel shortages in Russia, while Moscow has stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would push for fresh sanctions against companies supporting Russia’s military industry.
“The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed,” she said.
Despite repeated calls by President Zelensky for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the more than four-year war, the Kremlin has so far rejected the proposal.
Russia has continued to deny deliberately targeting civilians, insisting its strikes are aimed at infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s war effort, while Kyiv accuses Moscow of systematically attacking residential areas and civilian targets.
