At least eight people have been killed and 33 others injured after a wave of Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv and surrounding areas, Ukrainian authorities say.
The overnight attack damaged apartment buildings, warehouses, a children’s hospital and a school, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Emergency crews were also searching through the rubble of destroyed buildings for survivors, with two people already rescued.
Kyiv was placed under repeated air-raid alerts as Ukrainian authorities warned that missiles were approaching the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said the children’s hospital suffered damage during the strikes, with windows shattered and vehicles catching fire nearby. An educational institution was also damaged.
More Strikes
Missiles also struck an industrial facility in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district, according to Klitschko. In the wider Kyiv region, one person was killed and another injured in an attack in Brovary district, regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said.
The strikes also disrupted electricity supplies, leaving thousands of properties without power as technicians worked to repair damaged energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s emergency services continued rescue operations in areas where buildings had collapsed. While residents took shelter underground as explosions and air-raid sirens sounded across the capital.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had targeted a facility involved in producing components for drones and a munitions depot in Kyiv, according to Russian state media. Those claims have not been independently verified.
Effects Beyond Ukraine
The attack also had repercussions beyond Ukraine. Romania said a drone entered its airspace near the northern border with Ukraine during the overnight strikes.
Romania’s defence ministry said the drone crossed approximately 13km east of Galați before crashing in an uninhabited area. It caused a small fire, which was quickly extinguished, and no casualties or material damage were reported.
Poland also said it had launched “defensive air operations” to protect its airspace. The country shares a south-eastern border with Ukraine.
The latest strikes come amid a sharp escalation in long-range attacks by both sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than a dozen Ukrainian regions had been targeted over the past week, with Russia launching more than 1,550 attack drones, 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles.
Ukraine has also intensified attacks on targets deep inside Russia. A recent wave of roughly 600 drones targeted Moscow, while separate attacks in Russia this week reportedly killed at least 16 people, including a child.
Kyiv has repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure and logistics facilities in recent weeks. Ukraine’s defence ministry said a series of attacks since July had disabled seven of Russia’s 10 largest Wildberries logistics centres.
Ukrainian officials have said attacks inside Russia are partly intended to increase pressure on Moscow to engage seriously in negotiations aimed at ending the war.
Despite continued diplomatic efforts, however, there has been little progress towards a ceasefire. Russia and Ukraine continue to accuse each other of targeting civilians. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. More than four years into the war, Russian forces control roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, much of it in the country’s eastern regions.
The latest attack leaves Kyiv once again dealing with deaths, injuries, damaged civilian infrastructure and power disruptions.
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