Kyiv experienced an 11-hour drone and missile assault that targeted residential buildings and infrastructure, resulting in at least 25 fatalities and a grim description of a "night of horror" by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, stated that the enemy is once again "deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians." The attack, one of Russia’s most severe since the war began, reduced numerous homes to rubble and caused significant casualties, including children.
Harrowing images emerged in the aftermath, depicting the devastation. One image shows a mother grieving over her young son’s body within a bombed-out home. Other photographs captured emergency crews evacuating wounded children, with one showing a young man's injuries from the blast.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the aerial assault struck approximately 30 locations across the city, injuring around 90 people. Over 50,000 residents sought shelter in subway stations during the prolonged bombardment. Ukraine's air force indicated that Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones, including "high-precision long-range weapons."
Rescue teams continued to search through destroyed buildings for survivors, with the death toll anticipated to rise. The United Nations reports that over 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the start of the war. The Kremlin's Defense Ministry stated the bombardment was a response to recent Ukrainian long-range strikes that led to fuel shortages in Russia.
This attack occurred nearly a year after a one-year-old child was killed by a Russian drone strike, an event that drew widespread international condemnation.
