Georgiy Sudakov’s apartment building in Kyiv was left severely damaged after it was struck by a Russian drone overnight, the Ukraine midfielder said, as officials reported a large-scale barrage of drones and missiles across the country.
Sudakov, 23, who is away with the Ukraine national team, posted pictures and videos of the aftermath on his Instagram account and wrote: "This is what my house looks like after tonight. Arrival of the shaheed [sic]. The wife, child and mother were at home at the time." It was not immediately clear whether any of his family members were injured.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a wave of 805 drones and 13 missiles overnight. The force reported it shot down 751 of the attacking drones and missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed four people were killed and 44 were injured in the strikes.
Residents in Kyiv provided eyewitness accounts of the use of Shahed-type drones in the attack. BBC Verify located the residential building that houses Sudakov’s apartment to the south-east of the Svyatoshyns'kyi district and said the verified videos and photos show the upper storeys of the building severely damaged, blackened and smoking, with sections of walls and windows destroyed. Debris and rubble were visible across the street and on top of parked cars.
Sudakov was born in Bryanka in the Donbas region, an area currently under Russian occupation, and moved to Portuguese club Benfica from Shakhtar Donetsk in August. In an interview with BBC Sport earlier this year, he spoke about the strain of playing professional football while the war continues and being separated from his family in Kyiv. "It's psychologically hard when your family is far away and the first thing you see in the morning after waking up is a text from your wife saying that she and your child are hiding in the bathroom," he said in February 2024.
Ukraine’s national team is preparing for a World Cup qualifying match against Azerbaijan on Tuesday. The squad lost 2-0 to France in its Group D opener on Friday.
The overnight strikes came amid a continued pattern of long-range and unmanned attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Ukrainian air defences have frequently engaged Shahed-type Iranian-made drones and other missiles during recent months, and officials have regularly reported large numbers of intercepts following mass launches.
Local authorities and emergency services responded to the damage in Kyiv, clearing rubble and assessing buildings hit in the barrage. Investigations and damage assessments were under way at affected sites, and Ukrainian officials continued to provide updates on casualties and the status of air defences.
Sudakov’s posts drew responses from teammates and supporters, highlighting the personal toll the conflict has had on Ukrainian athletes who play abroad while family members remain in Ukraine. The incident underscores the continuing risks faced by civilians in populated areas amid the broader conflict.