A wave of overnight Russian missile strikes has killed at least five people in the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian authorities reported Thursday. The "massive attack" targeted apartment blocks and warehouses, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS), leaving at least 23 people injured.
Crews worked to rescue survivors trapped beneath the rubble of demolished buildings, with at least one person pulled from debris. In the Brovary district of the wider Kyiv region, one man was killed and another wounded by an attack, according to Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that a children's hospital sustained damage during the strikes, with windows broken and cars set ablaze in the vicinity. An industrial center in the Solomyanskyi district of southwestern Kyiv was also hit by missiles, the mayor said.
Amid the strikes on Ukraine, Poland's army announced it would initiate "preventative military aviation operations." Regional authorities had issued alerts warning residents to seek shelter and noting the possibility of air defense operations in the area. Missile alerts continued to be issued throughout the night.