Russia Launches Massive Missile and Drone Assault on Kyiv, Killing at Least Four

Russia conducted one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine overnight, striking the capital Kyiv with a barrage of missiles and drones that killed at least four people and injured more than 100, according to Ukrainian officials.

Explosions reverberated across the city for hours, with fires breaking out and damage reported in every district. Residential buildings, including one near the government district, were heavily affected, while people sought shelter in underground metro stations. Emergency responders worked through the night and into the day to extinguish fires and search through rubble at damaged sites including houses, shopping centers, museums, theaters, schools, and universities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the affected locations and strongly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for the use of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile. Zelenskyy described Russia as “genuinely deranged” following the attack.

Ukraine’s air force reported that the Russian barrage involved around 600 drones and 90 missiles. Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the use of the Oreshnik missile, marking only the third time it has been deployed in the conflict. The missile is a high-speed, maneuverable weapon equipped with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing it to carry multiple warheads aimed at different targets.

A resident described the situation: “This is of course horrible. It is horrible what Russia is doing. That it is trying to destroy us. That it gives us no chance at life. But we have no other option. We have to endure all of this.”

The strikes come after Putin threatened retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian-occupied territory. Moscow claims those strikes hit a vocational school and killed at least 18 people, mostly students.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia’s strikes on civilians and announced additional EU support to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense systems. Several European leaders described the scale of the assault as a sign of Russia’s desperation.

Russia has continued near-daily attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, while Ukraine has intensified its own drone operations targeting Russian territories, including residential areas and oil export facilities.