Russian forces launched a record aerial assault on Ukraine early on September 7, sending at least 805 drones and more than a dozen ballistic and cruise missiles against more than 20 cities, Ukrainian officials said, killing civilians and causing widespread damage to residential, government and transport infrastructure.
Ukrainian authorities said a 32-year-old woman and her two-month-old son were killed in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv; rescuers were searching rubble for others and dozens of people were wounded across the capital. A woman was also reported killed in the Sumy region, and local emergency services gave varying tallies of casualties and injuries in other communities hit by the strikes.
Ukrainian officials said the attack included 805 strike drones plus 13 Iskander-K cruise and Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Kyiv reported that air defences intercepted or caused 751 drones and missiles to miss or be destroyed, while acknowledging that at least nine missiles and 56 strike drones hit 37 locations. Debris from downed systems fell in at least eight populated areas, officials said.
The barrage struck targets across the country, including Kyiv, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Kremenchuk, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. High-rise residential buildings and a nursery school in the capital were damaged, and the offices of Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers were hit for the first time in the war, with damage reported to the roof and upper floors.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the greatest damage in the capital was to a nine-storey residential building in which partial collapses were reported from the fourth to the eighth floor; he confirmed two bodies were recovered there and rescuers were searching for more. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement that rescuers were extinguishing fires at government buildings and other sites and called for increased sanctions on Russian oil and gas and more weapons to help Ukraine defend civilians.
Polish and NATO officials said allied fighter jets were scrambled over Poland near the Ukrainian border as precautionary measures. The Warsaw operational commander said the moves were “of a preventive nature and are aimed at securing the airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened zone.” Ground-based air-defence and radar-reconnaissance systems were placed on heightened readiness, according to NATO statements.
Footage and witness accounts shared on social media and by local authorities showed explosions and fires in Kyiv and other cities, blackout conditions in some areas early on Monday, and damage to bridges and transport links. Ukrainian officials said the Kryukovskiy bridge in the Kremenchuk area was struck, prompting closures of key road and rail links; electricity and internet service were interrupted in parts of the country.
State and local emergency services reported fires and rescue operations in multiple regions. In Khmelnytskyi region, authorities said an airfield was damaged. Energy infrastructure was targeted in several locations, and local officials reported damage in the Dnipro river area, including near a dam in Svitlovodsk.
Pro-Russian outlets and channels hailed the scale of the operation, with some claiming as many as 1,000 drones. Kyiv and Western officials cautioned that claims made in the fog of conflict can vary and urged independent verification. Ukrainian air-defence officials provided the day’s tally of launches and interceptions.
Ukraine said it struck back with attacks on Russian energy and transport infrastructure. Ukrainian strikes were reported at the Druzhba pipeline in Bryansk region, and Ukrainian drones were reported to have set fire to the Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region, prompting worker evacuations. Fires were also reported at the Kavkaz port on the Kerch Strait opposite occupied Crimea.
International responses were rapid but measured. NATO officials emphasized the alliance’s defensive posture and steps taken to monitor and protect allied airspace. Western governments called for urgent humanitarian assistance to support rescue operations and for continued military support for Ukraine, while condemning the civilian toll.
Ukrainian leaders appealed for more military aid and for intensified sanctions aimed at depriving Moscow of revenue to sustain its operations. “The enemy terrorises and kills our people across the country every day,” a Ukrainian official said, urging the international community to respond with action in addition to words.
Emergency services continued search-and-rescue and firefighting operations on Monday as authorities assessed damage, tallied casualties and coordinated repairs to restore power and transport links. Investigations into specific strikes and their effects were under way as local and national officials prepared damage assessments and appeals for further international support.