At least 11 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, targeting Kyiv and several other major cities overnight.
Ukrainian officials said the capital was the main focus of the attack, which also struck Dnipro and Kharkiv, leaving widespread destruction and forcing thousands of residents into underground shelters.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia fired 73 missiles and 656 drones during the overnight bombardment. Air defence systems intercepted or neutralised 40 missiles and 602 drones, but dozens still reached their targets.
In Kyiv, rescue teams raced to search for survivors after a suspected missile strike hit a 24-storey residential building, causing a partial collapse.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said several people may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Images from the capital showed towering plumes of smoke rising above residential districts, burned-out vehicles and heavily damaged buildings.
Power provider DTEK said the attack temporarily cut electricity to about 140,000 residents, although supply has since been restored to most affected areas.
The death toll in Kyiv stood at four, with at least 58 others injured, including children. In the southeastern city of Dnipro, six people were killed and dozens wounded after missiles and drones struck residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine’s Air Force also reported that Russia used eight Zircon hypersonic missiles during the attack, potentially marking the largest deployment of the advanced weapon since the war began more than four years ago.
The Zircon missile is capable of travelling at nine times the speed of sound and has a range of approximately 1,000 kilometres.
The latest strike came just days after Moscow warned it would carry out “systematic strikes” on Kyiv in response to an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on a dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk that reportedly killed 21 people. Kyiv has denied responsibility.
Russian authorities later confirmed carrying out what they described as a “massive strike” on Ukraine’s defence industry facilities, saying the operation was retaliation for what Moscow called Ukrainian “terrorist acts.”
Meanwhile, the conflict continued to spill across borders. Poland, a member of both NATO and the European Union, scrambled military aircraft to protect its airspace during the assault.
Russia also reported attacks on its territory overnight. Officials said an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region caught fire following a Ukrainian drone strike, while air defence systems were activated over Crimea and other regions to intercept incoming drones.
The attack follows a warning issued by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday night, when he said Ukrainian intelligence had detected preparations for a major Russian assault.
As rescue operations continue across affected cities, officials fear the casualty figures could rise further, particularly in Kyiv where emergency crews are still searching collapsed buildings for survivors.
