Russia Launches Largest Air Attack on Kyiv, Killing at Least 30

Russia carried out its largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, overnight into Thursday, killing at least 30 people and injuring 91 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The large-scale assault struck multiple areas across the city, prompting evacuations and causing extensive damage to residential buildings and public facilities.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko described the overnight assault as the "most massive attack" on the capital because of the large number of missiles and drones used. The head of Kyiv's military administration, Timur Tkachenko, confirmed that 91 people were injured during the attack. Among the damaged locations was an ambulance station.

Although previous Russian attacks have resulted in higher death tolls, officials said this strike involved the highest number of weapons launched at Kyiv and affected a wide range of locations across the city.

The attack came only hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a major strike.

Residential Areas Suffer Heavy Damage

One of the worst-hit locations was a residential area in Darnitskyi district on Kyiv's left bank. Two missiles struck the neighborhood, leaving widespread destruction.

One missile created a large crater beside a kindergarten, severely damaging nearby buildings and leaving balconies twisted by the blast and fire. The second missile hit the end of a nine-storey apartment building, causing part of the structure to collapse into a pile of concrete.

Rescue teams continued searching through the rubble as relatives waited nearby, fearing that several people who had taken shelter in the basement were trapped.

Residents described the terrifying moments during the attack. A woman named Svitlana, who lives next to the damaged building, said she was sheltering in a corridor when the explosions occurred. She said she had already survived a previous Russian strike that killed her mother, while her son was later killed fighting for Ukraine.

Another resident, Oleksiy, suffered cuts after stepping outside following the first explosion. He said flying glass from the second missile injured him and rejected Russia's claim that the attack was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes, saying the missiles hit a residential neighborhood.

Thousands Take Shelter Underground

Kyiv's metro authorities said around 52,500 people, including 4,500 children, spent the night inside underground metro stations for safety. Officials said this was the highest number of people using the metro as bomb shelters in recent years.

The overnight attack lasted for more than 11 hours and came in several stages. It began with drone strikes targeting Kyiv's historic district, where a hotel caught fire.

Around 01:00 local time (23:00 GMT Wednesday), Russia launched dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles. After a short pause, another wave of cruise missiles followed at around 03:00, before a large number of drones continued attacking the capital until dawn.

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Residents said Russian attacks have changed in recent months, becoming less frequent but lasting longer and covering larger areas with more powerful strikes.

Ukrainian Red Cross Warehouse Destroyed

The Ukrainian Red Cross confirmed that one of its warehouses in Kyiv was destroyed during the overnight attack.

The organization said supplies worth more than £1.3 million (79 million Ukrainian Hryvnia) were lost. Around 320,000 emergency relief items were destroyed, affecting humanitarian operations and emergency response efforts across Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine Exchange Statements

Russia's Defence Ministry said it targeted military facilities, defence industries and energy infrastructure in central and eastern Ukraine. Moscow claimed the strikes were retaliation for what it described as Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure inside Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would continue increasing pressure on what he called the "Kyiv regime" to achieve its military objectives.

Ukraine strongly rejected those claims. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said it was "immoral" to justify attacks on civilians by comparing them to Ukraine's military operations. He said there is a clear difference between "an aggressor and a country defending itself."

Air Defences Face One of the Toughest Challenges

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones, with Kyiv being the primary target.

According to the military, Ukrainian air defence systems intercepted most of the incoming weapons. However, 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones still struck 33 locations.

Ukrainian military experts described the assault as one of the biggest challenges for the country's air defence network in recent months.

Aviation expert Bohdan Dolintsev said Russia's strategy of launching different types of missiles and drones during the same attack makes it much harder for Ukraine's air defence systems to respond effectively.

Following the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukraine's allies to provide additional air defence systems and urged the United States to grant licences allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot defence missiles.

Ukraine has recently carried out long-range strikes targeting Russian power facilities from the Moscow region to the Black Sea. Those attacks prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to acknowledge that Russia was facing fuel shortages.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.