A "massive" Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv on Wednesday night killed at least 12 people and injured more than 40 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday.
"Throughout the night, our emergency services have been working at the sites of Russian strikes," Zelenskyy wrote on social media. "The attack was massive -- the Russians prepared for a long time and combined different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones to inflict as much damage as possible on civilian infrastructure."
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched an unspecified number of ballistic missiles, 46 cruise or air-to-ground missiles, and 168 drones overnight. The primary target was the Kyiv region, with munitions impacting across 28 locations. The air force stated that 41 cruise missiles and 145 drones were shot down or suppressed, but did not specify if any ballistic missiles were intercepted. Residential buildings, a children's hospital, and a school were among the damaged sites in the capital, according to Zelenskyy.
Attacks were also reported in the southern Odesa and northern Chernihiv regions. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted damage in several city districts, including fires at warehouses and residential buildings.
Recent months have seen an increase in Russian missile attacks across Ukraine. Officials in Kyiv have warned of critically low, and in some cases exhausted, Ukrainian stocks of anti-missile interceptor munitions. Ukraine is developing its own ballistic missile interceptor program, FREYJA, but it is not expected to be operational until 2027.
Zelenskyy appealed to international partners for more ammunition, stating, "As long as Ukraine lacks sufficient anti-ballistic defenses, Russia will not seriously consider peace." He emphasized the daily need for interceptors for systems like Patriot and thanked those providing assistance.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the event on X as a "horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv," calling it one of the most brutal Russian attacks to date. Russia's Defense Ministry stated the strikes targeted military industrial enterprises, a transport and logistics hub, and warehouses in Kyiv and the surrounding region. The ministry also claimed to have shot down at least 726 Ukrainian drones over 18 Russian regions and Crimea.