Russian forces launched a significant drone and missile attack on Kyiv on Thursday, resulting in at least 10 fatalities and over 50 injuries, according to Ukrainian officials. The strikes hit residential buildings, including an apartment block that partially collapsed after a direct hit. Russia stated the attack was in retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes on its civil infrastructure.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported 10 deaths and extensive damage across the city. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, stated that 56 people, including two children, were wounded. Emergency services were seen working through rubble at a damaged nine-story building. Widespread damage was reported, with windows shattered and cars destroyed in various parts of the city.
The attack prompted air raid alerts across most of Ukraine overnight, marking one of Russia's most substantial assaults since mid-June. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had cut short a visit to Dublin due to the threat of an attack, appealed to international partners for air defense support. Neighboring Poland briefly scrambled fighter jets as a precautionary measure.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed its "massive attack" targeted military, energy, and airport facilities using long-range facilities using air, land, and sea-launched weapons and drones. The ministry asserted that 327 drones were downed overnight, including those over Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
This escalation follows a recent intensification of Ukrainian strikes deeper into Russian territory, which has reportedly exacerbated a fuel crisis in Russia. The governor of the Novosibirsk region noted worsening fuel shortages, prioritizing emergency services. In other Russian regions, drone attacks have also been reported, including one that killed one person and wounded four near an industrial facility in Nizhny Novgorod, and another that killed a man and injured his wife in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have previously stated they do not deliberately target civilians, though Reuters could not independently verify the specific casualty details of these incidents.