Residential areas suffer heavy damage during overnight assault
Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight drone and missile attack on Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 50 others, Ukrainian officials said. The assault damaged residential neighbourhoods across the capital, with emergency crews continuing rescue operations as daylight revealed widespread destruction.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a direct strike caused part of a nine-storey apartment building to collapse, while dozens of other locations sustained damage. Military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko reported that 56 people, including two children, were injured, and several victims remained trapped beneath the rubble.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier warned of a possible overnight attack and cut short his visit to Dublin. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged international partners to accelerate deliveries of additional air defence systems, describing the assault as another devastating attack on civilians.
Russia says attack was retaliation
Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that its forces targeted military, energy and airport facilities using long-range missiles and drones. Moscow claimed the operation was retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure, although it did not provide further details. The ministry also said Russian air defences intercepted 327 Ukrainian drones overnight, including those over Russian-controlled territories.
At the same time, Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes inside Russia, increasing pressure on Russian infrastructure and energy facilities. Russian regional officials reported casualties and damage following Ukrainian drone attacks in several regions, including Nizhny Novgorod, Belgorod and Leningrad.
Regional tensions remain high
Furthermore, neighbouring Poland temporarily scrambled fighter jets as a precaution during the attack, although authorities later confirmed no violation of NATO airspace. Finland also briefly imposed an aviation restriction zone over the eastern Gulf of Finland before lifting it.
Despite renewed calls from Kyiv for direct peace talks between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the conflict continues to escalate. Both Russia and Ukraine maintain they do not deliberately target civilians, while independent verification of battlefield claims remains difficult.
