Russia launched its largest overnight strikes on Ukraine, sending 805 drones and 13 missiles across the country, Ukraine’s Air Force said Sunday, Sept. 7.
The assault killed at least four people, including a woman and an infant in Kyiv, injured dozens, and set the Cabinet of Ministers building on fire in the first confirmed strike on a government headquarters since the start of the war.
Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted or disabled 751 targets, including 747 Shahed-type drones and four Iskander-K cruise missiles, according to the military.
But missiles and drones still hit 37 locations nationwide, igniting fires and destroying residential and administrative buildings.
In Kyiv’s Sviatoshyn district, a nine-story apartment block was partially destroyed between the 4th and 8th floors, killing a 32-year-old woman and her 2-month-old son, officials said. 44 others were injured.
Among them was a 24-year-old pregnant woman, who delivered a premature baby shortly after the attack, and doctors were fighting for her life and that of her baby, state TV Suspilne reported.
A 16-story high-rise, two more apartment blocks, cars, and warehouses also caught fire after being struck by debris.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said rescuers and medics worked through the night. “Among the dead are a mother and her baby. This is the price of Russia’s terror,” he said.
Debris also hit the Cabinet of Ministers building in the Pechersk district, setting the upper floors ablaze. Just before dawn, a Kyiv Post reporter heard the distinct whizzing of missiles overhead in the center of the capital, followed by a loud explosion.
Within several minutes, as the sun was rising, clouds of black smoke could be seen billowing up from the area of the Verkhovna Rada and Cabinet of Ministers, not far from where President Volodymyr Zelensky usually resides.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed the damage, calling it the first attack on a government building during the full-scale war.
“We will rebuild the buildings. But lives lost cannot be returned,” Svyrydenko said. “The world must respond not only with words but with actions. Ukraine needs more sanctions against Russia’s oil and gas and more weapons to stop the terror.”
Ukraine’s PM later showed the destruction inside the Cabinet of Ministers building. “For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russians hit the Cabinet of Ministers building, where our entire team works,” Svyrydenko said.
“Fortunately, no one was hurt. The fire has been extinguished. I thank the rescuers. Russian terror will not stop the government’s work. We will restore the damage. But Ukrainian lives cannot be restored.”
In the Fastiv district, Kyiv region, a private house and a stable were damaged. Seven horses were killed, according to Ukrinform.
The strike extended far beyond the capital. In Odesa, three people were injured as fires broke out in a high-rise apartment block, a warehouse, and the city’s Sports Palace. In Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, four people were injured when missiles and drones damaged infrastructure, businesses, and homes.
The scale of the attack highlights Russia’s growing reliance on drones in its air campaign. Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow is attempting to overwhelm air defenses while striking both symbolic and civilian targets.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to Western partners for additional air defense systems, particularly more US-made Patriot batteries, as well as long-range weapons to strike Russian launch sites.
The strike came after several heavy Russian attacks in recent days. On Aug. 28, missiles and drones hit Kyiv, killing 25 people, including four children, and damaging civilian residential and diplomatic buildings.
On Aug. 30, Russia struck Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Pavlohrad, leaving one person dead and 24 injured. On Aug. 31, drones hit power facilities in Chornomorsk, Odesa region, cutting electricity for nearly 30,000 people and injuring one.
On Sept. 3, Russia launched at Ukraine 526 aerial targets, including 502 Shahed drones, 16 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea and eight Kh-101 cruise missiles from strategic bombers. Explosions were reported in the Khmelnytsky, Kirovohrad, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kyiv regions.