Russia Strikes Kyiv With Drones and Missiles, Killing at Least 21

Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Kyiv that lasted 11 hours overnight into Thursday morning, killing at least 21 civilians and injuring more than 90 others. Loud explosions shook the city for hours. More than 50,000 residents sheltered in subway stations after air raid warnings were issued.

Emergency crews worked through the day to search collapsed and burned apartment buildings for victims.

Russia fired 74 missiles and 496 drones during the assault, Ukraine’s air force said. The Russian Defense Ministry stated the strikes targeted weapons factories, energy facilities, and military airfield infrastructure. Ballistic missiles made up roughly one-third of the missiles fired. Ukrainian officials said air defenses performed better against drones than against ballistic missiles.

The attack damaged more than 30 locations across Kyiv, including about 20 residential buildings. In the Desnianskyi district, residents were trapped inside a damaged nine-story building. In the Darnytskyi district, most of another nine-story building collapsed.

A separate Russian strike in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region killed a 7-year-old girl and wounded four other family members, including an 11-year-old girl. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated the targets were exclusively military or military-linked.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the night as one of “horror” in the capital. Ukrainian forces also struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region and a railway bridge in occupied Luhansk region overnight, Ukraine’s General Staff said.

The attack came more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian officials have urged partner countries to supply additional air defense systems, particularly Patriot batteries, to improve protection against ballistic missiles.