In the early hours of Thursday, a wave of Russian missile strikes slammed into Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and its surrounding region, killing at least eight people and injuring 33 more, Ukrainian authorities say. A mixture of apartment blocks and warehouses was targeted in what the state emergency service described as a “massive attack.”
Emergency crews are rushing to rescue anyone trapped under rubble. So far, two survivors have been pulled from debris and, while power grids were disrupted, technicians have been racing to restore electricity to thousands of homes overnight.
Meanwhile, Romania announced a drone had crossed into its airspace near the Ukrainian border, triggering an air alert. The drone crashed on an uninhabited area and caused a small fire that was quickly extinguished. No casualties or material damage were reported and the alert was lifted.
In Poland, the military launched defensive air operations “to protect its airspace” after receiving reports of increased aerial activity from the shared south‑eastern border with Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that a children’s hospital suffered damage, with windows shattered and nearby cars ablaze from the night’s onslaught. He also noted that an industrial centre in the Solomyanskyi district was hit and that the Brovary district recorded a single fatality and another injury.
Regional officials had alerted residents earlier to seek shelter as multiple missile warnings were issued throughout the night, citing incoming threats from Ukrainian airspace. In an effort to mitigate the conflict, both sides claim responsibility for the destruction of civilian infrastructure, with Russia’s full‑scale invasion continuing to hold about one‑fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The attacks on Kyiv continue to shape the scenario over the past weeks, with a broader Ukrainian offensive leading to a surge in drone and missile deployments across Russian territory. Over the past week alone, Ukraine has launched more than 1,550 attack drones, 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles, while attempting tailored strikes inside Russia, including attacks on Moscow and a logistics hub for the Russian retailer Wildberries. The war, now in its fourth and a half years, shows little sign of de-escalation or a breakthrough toward diplomatic talks, as both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians, deepening the humanitarian crisis.
