Russian forces launched a second consecutive day of drone strikes on Ukraine’s Kyiv region on Friday, damaging residential buildings, warehouses, and critical infrastructure, Ukrainian officials reported.
Russia conducts drone strikes on Kyiv region for second straight day
Russian forces resumed drone attacks on the Kyiv region on Friday, marking the second consecutive day of aerial assaults. Ukrainian authorities said the strikes targeted residential areas, storage facilities, and logistics hubs, extending into daylight hours and disrupting civilian life. The attacks killed one person and wounded two others, according to regional officials.
Ukrainian infrastructure and logistics hit amid prolonged air raids
The strikes damaged 14 warehouses, 16 private homes, three apartment buildings, and 16 vehicles, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional military administration. Emergency services reported that a second drone struck a location after first responders arrived, a tactic described by Ukrainian military officials as a "double tap" targeting relief efforts. The prolonged air raids in Kyiv lasted nearly 15 hours on Thursday, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, severely disrupting transportation, commerce, and daily routines.
Attacks extend beyond Kyiv, straining power and supply chains
In Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, glide bombs struck a combined heat and power plant on Thursday, forcing its shutdown and prompting officials to warn of extended winter outages. Residents were advised to relocate if possible. In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian drone damaged a major home-improvement store, injuring at least four people, said regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine’s state railway reported delays across several regions due to the strikes, with effects expected to linger.
Russian and Ukrainian claims diverge on targets and impact
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces struck a warehouse in the Kyiv region storing Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missiles and fuel for rocket boosters, though Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm the assertion. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim. Recent strikes have also damaged warehouses storing consumer goods, including books and food, according to regional authorities.
Ukrainian officials described the campaign as an attempt to "paralyze" Kyiv and disrupt daily life. Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, said Russia was launching "small numbers of jet-powered UAVs in waves" to overwhelm air defenses and exhaust the population. Ukraine’s state emergency service warned residents not to approach areas where firefighters were still battling blazes, citing 38 attacks in the Kyiv region over the past 24 hours.
Logistics and retail sectors bear brunt of strikes
The attacks targeted major retailers and courier services, including Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s top private courier. The company said sorting centers near Kyiv and in Sumy were destroyed, exacerbating delays in mail and package deliveries. The prolonged air-raid alerts and infrastructure damage have created a cascading effect on supply chains, with officials predicting further disruptions in the coming days.