Russia has launched a massive overnight missile and drone assault on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 100 others, Ukrainian officials said.
A drone struck a residential tower block, flattening dozens of apartments, as explosions echoed across the city for more than nine hours. President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as “one of the most terrifying strikes” since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine’s interior minister said the attack involved 440 drones and 32 missiles. Russia’s defence ministry claimed it hit military-industrial targets and that all objectives were achieved.
In Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district, a ballistic missile hit a nine-storey apartment building, causing a section of the structure to collapse. The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed a 62-year-old US. citizen was among the dead and warned more people could be trapped under the rubble.
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“More than 40 apartments have been destroyed,” Klitschko said at the scene. He accused Russia of using cluster munitions filled with ball bearings, saying the aim was “to kill as many people as possible.”
“Waking up in utter nightmare: people trapped under rubble and full buildings collapsed,” Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko posted on X.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that alongside residential buildings, critical infrastructure and educational facilities were also hit.
The attack has triggered widespread panic.
Residents fled to underground shelters from before midnight until after sunrise. Loud blasts and the sound of mobile air defence units firing at incoming drones were heard throughout the night.
Morning sirens disrupted rescue efforts, slowing down emergency teams working to locate survivors.
Russia has intensified its air attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, often deploying large waves of drones and decoys aimed at exhausting Ukraine’s air defences.
Ukraine responded with its own strikes. Russia accused Ukrainian forces of launching a missile attack on occupied Donetsk, reportedly injuring at least 10 people.
Russian news agencies said 147 Ukrainian drones were shot down over nine Russian regions during the night.
Speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, President Zelensky called the wave of Russian strikes “pure terrorism.”
He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of carrying out the attacks “solely because he can afford to continue this war.”
“It is bad when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to this,” Zelensky said. “It is the terrorists who should feel the pain, not normal, peaceful people.”
Drone strikes also hit the southern city of Odesa, killing one and injuring at least 10 others, according to Klymenko.
Zelensky had planned to meet US. President Donald Trump at the summit, but Trump cut short his visit amid rising Middle East tensions — a setback for Ukraine’s push for more international support.
Despite this, the UK and its allies are expected to unveil new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, continuing efforts to isolate Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
(BBC)
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