Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine overnight, firing hundreds of missiles and drones at Kyiv and other regions, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens, according to Ukrainian officials.
The attack came just days after the deadliest strike on the Ukrainian capital this year and on the eve of a NATO summit, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with United States President Donald Trump.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said rescue workers were searching through the rubble of damaged residential buildings after the overnight bombardment. Authorities said more than 50 people were wounded across the capital.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 68 missiles, including 23 ballistic missiles and six hypersonic missiles, along with 351 drones.
According to the military, Ukrainian air defences intercepted or neutralised 37 missiles and 326 drones. However, none of the ballistic or hypersonic missiles were successfully intercepted, highlighting Ukraine’s ongoing shortage of Patriot air defence interceptors, which Kyiv says are essential for defending against such weapons.
Emergency services said at least 15 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed in Kyiv, including a nine-storey apartment block in the Podilskyi district that suffered extensive structural damage.
Rescue operations continued throughout the day as firefighters battled blazes and emergency workers searched for survivors trapped beneath the debris.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed carrying out what it described as a “massive” strike using long-range precision weapons and drones, claiming it targeted military and energy facilities in Kyiv, the surrounding region and several military airfields elsewhere in Ukraine.
Beyond Kyiv, officials reported five deaths and 26 injuries in the wider Kyiv region, while the southern port city of Odesa also came under attack.
Poland, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, temporarily scrambled fighter jets as a precaution during the strikes.
Ahead of the attack, President Zelenskyy had warned that intelligence reports indicated Russia was preparing a major assault before the NATO summit.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued its own long-range campaign against Russian military and energy infrastructure. Ukrainian strikes were reported in Russian-occupied Crimea, where local authorities said an attack briefly disrupted electricity supplies in Sevastopol.
Russia also claimed its air defence systems intercepted 519 Ukrainian drones across more than 20 regions overnight, including areas around Moscow and occupied Crimea.
The conflict, now in its fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues with both sides intensifying long-range attacks while diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled.
