Russian forces launched a massive missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 30 others, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Thursday.
The attack struck multiple neighbourhoods across the capital, forcing authorities to evacuate several districts as explosions rocked residential buildings. Notably, the strikes came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a “massive” assault.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, reported that children numbered among the “significant number” of casualties. “The enemy is once again deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians,” he said early Thursday. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces had targeted energy facilities in retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia fired 74 missiles and 496 drones overnight, primarily aiming at the capital. Although Ukrainian air defences intercepted most projectiles, 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones ultimately hit 33 locations across the city.
Rescue Operations Continue Amid Widespread Damage
Residents reported hearing loud explosions throughout the night, while witnesses counted at least ten significant strikes, including a major fire in the city centre. Daylight subsequently revealed craters, smouldering vehicles and collapsed infrastructure across several districts.
Emergency crews have rescued 34 people so far, and search operations continue at a high-rise apartment building and homes in southeast Kyiv, officials said. Firefighters also battled a blaze that destroyed a hotel on a central boulevard, while damage to an ambulance station left one person critically injured.
Ukraine Calls for Stronger International Support
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha urged Ukraine’s allies to supply additional air defence systems, insisting the country needed “not only words of condemnation but concrete action to stop Russian terror.” He also called for tighter sanctions on Russia after accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Olha Stefanishyna, described the attack as “another horrific night for the residents of the city, who were forced to spend it in shelters,” citing fires and destruction across several districts.
Thursday’s assault represents the first large-scale strike on Kyiv in more than two weeks. Russia additionally struck military bases in central and eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state media.
The escalation follows renewed fighting near Kostyantynivka, a key eastern stronghold, even as Ukrainian commanders maintain they have reclaimed more territory this year than they have lost. Russia still controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory seized since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
