KYIV, Ukraine — A major Russian missile and drone assault on Kyiv injured at least 14 people and caused widespread fires in residential areas, city authorities reported.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched an unprecedented barrage of 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles targeting the capital, making it one of the largest combined aerial attacks since the war began.
Ukrainian defenses intercepted most of the attack, downing six missiles and 245 drones.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike, tweeting, “With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow.”
The attack struck just hours after a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, brokered through talks held in Turkey, raising tensions amid ongoing conflict.
Describing the night as “difficult,” Zelensky detailed multiple fires and explosions across Kyiv, with homes, businesses, and vehicles damaged by direct hits or falling debris.
Local resident Olha Chyrukha, 64, shared her distress with Reuters: “I wish they‘d agree to a ceasefire. To bomb people like this — poor children. My three-year-old granddaughter was screaming scared.”
Zelensky urged the international community to impose “additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy” as the only way to pressure Moscow toward a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of launching hundreds of exploding drones into its territory last week, including strikes near Moscow.
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed to have shot down 485 drones.
