At least 17 people were killed after Russia unleashed its largest aerial assault on Kyiv since the start of the war, bombarding the Ukrainian capital with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an overnight attack that left widespread destruction across the city.
The hours-long barrage tore through residential neighbourhoods, reduced apartment buildings to rubble and forced thousands of residents to seek shelter in underground metro stations as explosions echoed across the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the assault as the biggest attack ever launched against the city, while emergency services confirmed at least 17 fatalities as rescue teams searched for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired 496 drones and 74 missiles, including ballistic missiles, during the attack. Air defence systems intercepted 476 drones and 48 missiles, but several projectiles struck residential areas across the city.
The latest bombardment came as diplomatic efforts to end the more than four-year war remain stalled.
In response, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced plans to propose fresh sanctions against Moscow, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his appeal to the United States to grant Ukraine licences to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors domestically.
“Air defence supplies for Ukraine are an absolute and critical priority,” Zelensky said, adding that Kyiv was counting on Washington’s approval to expand local production of Patriot missiles.
The US-made Patriot system remains one of Ukraine’s most effective defences against Russian ballistic missile attacks.
AFP journalists reported hearing repeated explosions throughout the night as terrified residents fled into metro stations carrying children, pets and essential belongings.
City authorities said more than 52,000 people, including 4,500 children, sought refuge in Kyiv’s underground railway system during the assault — the highest number recorded in recent years.
The attack left entire apartment blocks destroyed, with smoke rising above the capital as rescue workers sifted through debris.
Among those affected was Sabina Mambetova, whose apartment building in Kyiv’s eastern Darnytskyi district was heavily damaged.
“Half the building has been destroyed. The roof is gone,” she said.
“I’ve been left without an apartment, alone with my child. I don’t know what to do now.”
Another resident, doctor Kateryna Kucheryava, said repeated overnight attacks have made it increasingly difficult for families to cope.
“My child is used to sleeping in complete silence and darkness. I carried her to the metro shelter, but once she woke up, she couldn’t sleep again,” she said.
Despite mounting international pressure, the Kremlin signalled it would intensify military operations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would continue increasing pressure on Ukraine until it achieved its military objectives.
The latest strike came just hours after Zelensky cut short an official visit to Dublin following intelligence reports warning of a major Russian attack.
He urged Ukrainians to heed air raid warnings and make full use of bomb shelters, saying Moscow had been preparing the assault for some time.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War, with both sides escalating long-range strikes despite repeated international efforts to broker a ceasefire.
