Russia launched a massive overnight air assault on Ukraine early Sunday, killing at least four people and injuring 70 others, with Kyiv suffering its worst bombardment in over a month. Among the dead was a 12-year-old girl, according to city officials.
Kyiv City Administration head Tymur Tkachenko confirmed the fatalities and noted 10 others were wounded in the capital alone. The attack, which targeted residential buildings, a kindergarten, and a medical facility, caused widespread damage across more than 20 locations. Witnesses reported thick black smoke rising from explosions near the city center.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia fired 595 drones and decoys along with 48 missiles. Of those, 566 drones and 45 missiles were intercepted. The strikes marked Russia’s first large-scale offensive since July’s air raid that killed 21 people in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the assault hit not only Kyiv, but also the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa. He called it a direct message to the international community following last week’s United Nations General Assembly, saying, “Moscow wants to keep fighting and killing.”
In Zaporizhzhia, 27 people were reported wounded, including three children. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said over two dozen buildings were damaged. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry later confirmed that more than 100 civilian structures were hit nationwide.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the city as being “under siege,” as emergency crews responded to shattered buildings and injured residents. At Kyiv’s central train station, passengers huddled in fear as air raid sirens echoed overhead. One resident said, “The sky has turned black again.”
Poland scrambled fighter jets in response to the attacks on Ukraine’s western regions. Polish military officials called the deployment “preventative,” amid growing concerns of cross-border escalation.
