Russian Drone, Missile Barrage Hits Kyiv, Killing 6, Injuring Dozens
A massive overnight barrage of Russian drones and missiles struck Kyiv on Friday, killing six people and injuring at least 35 others, including a pregnant woman, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The assault, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as one of the largest in recent weeks, sent explosions echoing across the capital as emergency crews battled multiple fires and sifted through debris from shattered apartment blocks. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said rescue teams responded to several impact sites through the night.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched at least 430 drones and 18 missiles in the attack, leaving gaping holes in residential buildings. He called it “a specially calculated attack to cause as much harm as possible to people and civilians.”
Moscow denied targeting civilians, claiming its strikes were aimed at Ukraine’s “military-industrial and energy facilities,” a statement Ukrainian officials widely dismissed given the widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure.
The strike also hit Odesa and Kharkiv, though Kyiv bore the brunt. In Odesa’s Chornomorsk district, two people were killed and 11 injured when drones struck a busy street on market day, regional chief Oleh Kiper said.
Survivors Describe Night of Terror
Kyiv residents shared harrowing accounts of narrow escapes.
Mariia Kalchenko, a volunteer rescue dog handler, said she woke to find her hair on fire after an explosion blew out the walls of her apartment.
“I turned around and saw that there was no wall… the flames were going from the front door into the apartment,” she said.
Another resident, 59-year-old Oleh Hudyma, described being thrown to the floor when an explosion ripped through her neighborhood just as she prepared to head to a shelter.
Authorities warned of possible power and water outages as eight of the capital’s 10 districts reported damage. Cars were set ablaze, debris littered courtyards, and fires broke out in multiple buildings. In the wider Kyiv region, one man was hospitalized with burns after strikes hit private homes and critical infrastructure.
Ukraine Responds With Its Own Strikes
Ukraine said it used Patriot air defense systems to intercept 14 missiles and urged international partners to supply more of the advanced systems ahead of winter.
Meanwhile, Kyiv continued its own long-range strikes inside Russia. A Ukrainian security source confirmed that domestically produced Neptune missiles were used to hit strategic sites deep in Russian territory, including infrastructure in the port city of Novorossiysk—one of Russia’s largest oil export hubs. The attack reportedly damaged oil-loading facilities, pipelines and air defense positions, sparking a large fire.
Russia claimed to have shot down 216 Ukrainian drones across several regions, including Crimea, Krasnodar and Saratov.
The latest escalation comes as the European Union urges Ukraine to intensify anti-corruption efforts following a recent energy-related graft scandal—but reassured Kyiv that financial and military support will continue.
As winter approaches and energy infrastructure remains under threat, both sides appear locked into increasingly destructive aerial campaigns with no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough.
