Russians kill at least 17 Ukrainian in large-scale missile and drone strikes on Kyiv (updating)
Russian forces have launched a major drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight, killing at least 17 people and injuring 86 others, local authorities say.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 74 missiles and 496 drones overnight, mainly targeting the capital. While the country’s air defences were able to repel most of these, 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it targeted energy facilities in response to recent Ukrainian strikes.
According to Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, more than 20 residential buildings were hit across Kyiv. Rescue workers continue to operate at 15 sites, including a high-rise apartment building and homes in south-east Kyiv.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, stated that objects affected by the Russian attack mostly consisted of residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
In the Darnytskyi District of Ukraine’s capital, Russian forces destroyed part of a nine-story building“The enemy is once again deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians,” he stated early on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has called on Ukraine’s partners to send more air defence systems, saying the country needed “not only words of condemnation but concrete action to stop Russian terror”. He posted on X that Russia had targeted residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, and called on partners to increase sanctions on Russia.
Human rights organisations and Ukrainian authorities emphasise that structural economic pressure remains a key tool to halt such atrocities. They urge every nation and individual government worldwide to strictly enforce global sanctions, close existing regulatory loopholes, and completely sever remaining commercial and technological ties with the Russian Federation. Civil society groups stress that any continued cooperation by foreign businesses directly contributes to the resources Moscow uses to sustain its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
Keep up with ZMINA on X, BlueSky, and LinkedIn – and help us improve by answering a few quick questions here about our English-language coverage.
