Just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an impending "massive" escalation by Moscow, the skies over the Ukrainian capital erupted in a flurry of inbound drone and missile activity.
At least 20 people were killed and several dozen injured in the overnight multi-wave Russian missile and drone assault that overwhelmed Kiev's air defense umbrella. The sheer scale of the bombardment indicates a significant ramping up of Moscow's retaliation strategy, after Russian territory has in turn suffered many weeks - even months - of significant drone attacks particularly targeting oil refineries and energy infrastructure.
The capital's Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that six floors of an apartment building had partially collapsed after a direct hit from a Russian projectile. "Kyiv is under attack from ballistic missiles and UAVs," Klitschko wrote on Telegram in the night hours.
Officials also noted that at least two children were among the injured and three dozen locations across the city had been damaged in the attacks, according to AFP. Klitschko also said it marked the "most massive" attack night on the capital to date. BBC explains:
Although previous attacks have killed more people, this latest barrage deployed the largest number of weapons on the capital and hit locations over a very wide area of Kyiv.
Several neighbourhoods were evacuated as strikes rocked buildings throughout the city, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was preparing an attack.
The Ukrainian Air Force released a fiery Telegram statement in the wake of the assault: "We express our condolences to all the victims, families who lost their relatives and loved ones in this terrible terrorist attack. We will take revenge!" the statement said.
Residents says that such attacks are becoming more intense, cover a wider area of the capital region, and last longer. "The attack on Kyiv lasted more than 11 hours and came in several waves starting with a drone strike on Kyiv's historic quarter, setting off a fire in a hotel in the city center," BBC additionally reports.
NBC separately details:
Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged across the city. The Emergency Service says it deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath of the attack.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Ukraine’s allies to strengthen the country’s air defenses following what he described as a “night of horror” in Kyiv, urging partners not to delay decisions on supplying air defense systems and missiles. Writing on X, Sybiha said the death toll after the attack may rise as the rescue teams continued their work.
As for numbers of projectiles, Ukraine's air force tallied that Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones during the attack. This is an immense amount to be concentrated on the capital alone. The military claimed its air defense units downed most of those, but still 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations - per the statement.
Neighboring Poland indicated that the attack was so large that it briefly scrambled fighter jets on Thursday as a preventive measure to monitor any potential air space violations for inbound missiles, drones, or interceptors. It said the warplanes returned to base once it became clear there were no violations.