Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine using drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, damaging homes, railway infrastructure and energy facilities across several regions, with the most severe destruction reported in Kharkiv.
A ballistic missile strike on a residential building in the eastern city killed multiple civilians, including children, while other attacks caused damage in Kyiv and disrupted railway operations in several regions.
The attacks were part of a combined missile and drone barrage carried out during the night of March 7, according to RBC-Ukraine, citing Ukraine’s Air Force and local authorities.
Deadly strike on Kharkiv residential building
A Russian missile struck a five-story residential building in Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district overnight, destroying an entire entrance section and heavily damaging nearby structures.
“As a result of the enemy strike, the entrance section of a five-story residential building in Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district was essentially destroyed. A nearby building was also damaged,” Kharkiv Regional Military Administration head Oleh Syniehubov said.
Nin people were confirmed dead, including two children – a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy – while more than 15 others were injured.
Among the wounded is an 11-year-old boy who suffered severe injuries and remains in critical condition, Syniehubov said. A six-year-old boy from the same family was also injured but is in satisfactory condition.
Authorities said up to 14 people may have been inside the building when the missile struck, and rescue workers continued clearing debris in search of survivors.
The blast also damaged at least 19 nearby apartment buildings, shattering hundreds of windows and balconies, while a school and several commercial structures were also affected.
Shahed drones struck both the Kyivskyi and Osnovianskyi districts. In the latter case, a drone hit an industrial area.
According to Kharkiv’s mayor Ihor Terekhov, a primary school teacher from Lyceum No. 6 and her son, a second-grade student, were killed in their home during the overnight attack. An eighth-grade student from Lyceum No. 16 also died along with her mother. Search and rescue operations at the site of the residential building strike are ongoing.
Kyiv targeted by ballistic missiles and drones
Kyiv was also hit by several waves of missile and drone attacks during the night.
Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said damage was recorded in three districts of the capital.
In the Holosiivskyi district, falling missile debris caused a fire in a non-residential area, which was later extinguished.In the Desnianskyi district, fragments of a missile were found on a road, while debris was discovered in three locations in the Dniprovskyi district.
Three people were injured in the capital, Klitschko said, with two hospitalized and another treated at the scene.
Damage to critical infrastructure left thousands of buildings temporarily without heating in several districts of the city as municipal workers began repairs.
Railway infrastructure and energy facilities damaged
The state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said the attack damaged railway infrastructure, forcing several trains in the Rivne, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions to change routes.
“This means delays on the way,” the company said in a statement, adding that backup diesel locomotives had been deployed on de-energized sections while repair teams inspected the damage.Railway monitoring teams also helped protect dozens of passenger trains during the attack.
Strikes reported across several regions
Russian strikes also caused damage in other parts of Ukraine.
In Zaporizhzhia, shelling damaged windows in around 30 apartments of a residential building and injured an infant.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, an infrastructure facility was struck overnight, triggering a large fire. Nearly 200 rescuers and about 60 units of equipment were deployed to contain the blaze.
Power outages were reported in the Khmelnytskyi region, where a railway station building in the Shepetivka district was also damaged.
Drone and cruise missile activity was additionally reported in the Chernivtsi region, where explosions were heard near Novodnistrovsk.
Large-scale missile and drone barrage
Russian forces used a mix of drones and missiles in the attack.
Ukrainian officials said 29 missiles – nearly half of them ballistic – and around 480 drones, most of them Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones, were launched during the assault.
Several strikes targeted energy facilities in Kyiv and western regions, while others hit civilian areas and transport infrastructure. Monitoring groups suggested that some missiles may have been launched from Russian-occupied Crimea, though the exact types used remain under investigation.
Continued attacks on Ukrainian cities
Russia has continued to conduct large-scale drone and missile attacks across Ukraine despite the end of winter.
Recent strikes have repeatedly targeted major urban centers including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, damaging residential buildings, infrastructure and energy facilities.
Ukrainian officials say such attacks remain part of Moscow’s strategy to pressure civilian populations and critical infrastructure while fighting continues along the front lines.