A large-scale Russian air assault on Wednesday night into Thursday targeted Kyiv and surrounding regions, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 40 others, Ukrainian authorities reported. The attack involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, and 168 drones, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The strikes damaged residential buildings, a children’s hospital, a school, warehouses, and gas infrastructure in multiple districts of Kyiv, including Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi. Fires broke out in several locations, and power supplies were disrupted for thousands of homes before being partially restored. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning following the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the assault as a premeditated, multi-pronged operation aimed at maximizing civilian infrastructure damage. He reported strikes in northern Chernihiv and southern Odesa, including a border crossing with Moldova. Ukraine’s air force stated that air defense units intercepted 145 drones and most cruise missiles, but no ballistic missiles were downed.
Emergency services worked through the night to rescue survivors and extinguish fires. In Solomianskyi district, a nine-story residential building was severely damaged, with its upper floors destroyed and fires spreading across other levels. At least seven fatalities occurred in this incident alone. Rescue crews also reported people trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter.
The attack extended beyond Ukraine’s borders, with one drone entering Romanian airspace near the city of Galați before crashing in an uninhabited area, causing no casualties or damage. Romania’s defense ministry confirmed the incident, and the alert was later lifted. Poland also initiated defensive air operations along its southeastern border with Ukraine.
Ukraine’s state emergency service released footage showing firefighters battling blazes and assisting civilians in damaged buildings. Power company DTEK reported that electricity had been restored to more than half of the roughly 90,000 homes that lost power in Kyiv following the strike. Zelenskyy emphasized that the assault involved coordinated use of multiple weapon systems, suggesting extensive preparation.
The incident follows a pattern of increased Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent months, raising concerns about the depletion of Ukraine’s anti-missile interceptors.