KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine’s capital since the start of the full-scale invasion, killing four people and injuring at least 36 others in strikes that also hit the eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.
Three people were killed and 20 injured after missiles struck a postal terminal on the outskirts of Kharkiv, while one person died and 16 others were wounded in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault on the capital as “one of the most massive ballistic attacks” on Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Ukraine’s military, Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 drones overnight. Air defence systems intercepted 18 missiles and destroyed 108 drones before they reached their targets.
The latest barrage involved several advanced Russian weapons systems, including Iskander ballistic missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said residential and commercial buildings, including a supermarket and a student dormitory, sustained damage during the attack. Firefighters continued battling blazes at warehouses and logistics facilities on Sunday morning.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service also reported damage to a logistics hub in Bucha district, where two people were injured.
In Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the victims—three men aged between 24 and 62—died after a missile struck a postal terminal. Three of the injured remain in critical condition.
The latest attacks add to what Zelensky described as an intensifying Russian air campaign.
“In the past week alone, Russia has used about 1,450 strike drones, more than 1,640 guided bombs and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine,” he said on Telegram.
Ukraine retaliates
As Russia targeted Ukrainian cities, Kyiv confirmed a fresh wave of long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck three oil depots simultaneously in Russia’s Stavropol region, while the armed forces targeted another fuel facility.
He also claimed Ukrainian forces successfully hit three Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers operating in the Black Sea.
“I thank every one of our units that is helping to spread the realisation within Russia that this war must be brought to an end,” Zelensky said.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium confirmed that two tankers at its Black Sea terminal were damaged, forcing the suspension of oil loading operations. The company reported no injuries or oil spills.
Authorities in Russia’s Stavropol region also reported a drone strike that sparked a fire inside an industrial park.
The overnight attacks followed Ukrainian drone strikes on warehouses belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries.
Russian authorities said seven people were killed and 25 injured after a warehouse in Tambov was hit, while another person died and 37 others were injured in a separate strike on a Wildberries facility in Elektrostal near Moscow.
Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russia’s energy sector in recent months, arguing that oil and gas infrastructure are legitimate military targets because fossil fuel exports help finance Moscow’s war effort.
Earlier this month, Kyiv claimed nearly 43 per cent of Russia’s oil refining capacity had been disrupted by Ukrainian strikes, although the figure has not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued stepping up missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, prompting renewed calls from Kyiv for additional air defence systems from Western allies.
“Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now,” Zelensky said. “Interceptors are needed every day.”