At least 18 people have been killed in Ukraine after Russia launched a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas, in one of the most intense aerial assaults of the war.
The attacks continued throughout Thursday following a major overnight bombardment, with Ukrainian authorities reporting extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
The overnight strikes killed at least 16 people and injured about 40 others in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Russian forces used a combination of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, while additional daytime drone attacks killed at least two more people. The attacks struck several districts of Kyiv, including Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Holosiivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi.
A nine-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district was severely damaged and caught fire, while a children’s hospital, school, kindergarten and warehouses were also hit. Emergency workers searched through rubble for survivors and rescued people trapped inside damaged buildings. The scale of the destruction prompted Kyiv authorities to declare a day of mourning.
Scope of Air Missiles
Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces deployed a large combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Ukrainian air defences intercepted many of the incoming weapons, but the country remains critically short of advanced interceptor missiles, particularly those used by the US-made Patriot systems to counter ballistic threats. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to Ukraine’s allies for additional Patriot missiles.
The attacks have heightened concerns about Ukraine’s ability to protect critical infrastructure ahead of winter, when Russia is expected to again target energy facilities. Ukrainian officials fear that inadequate air defences could leave power and heating infrastructure vulnerable to sustained missile and drone attacks.
The assault also triggered security measures in neighbouring NATO countries. Poland activated aircraft and air-defence systems in response to the attacks, while Romania scrambled aircraft after detecting aerial targets near its border. The developments have raised renewed concerns about the potential for the war to create security risks beyond Ukraine’s borders.
