A massive Russian barrage of missiles and drones targeted Kyiv overnight, killing five people and injuring 35 as explosions shook the capital and fires erupted across several districts.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the attack began on the evening of Sept. 7 and continued through the night. Russia launched Oniks anti-ship missiles, Iskander-M, S-400 and North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missiles, 32 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 166 Shahed attack drones. More than half of the Shaheds were jet-powered, while Russia also used Parodiya decoy drones.
Ukraine’s air defenses had destroyed or suppressed 175 aerial targets by 8:30 a.m., including two ballistic missiles, 31 Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles and 142 drones, including Shahed, Gerbera and other types.
A series of powerful blasts rang out across Kyiv, triggering car alarms in central areas. Smoke and the glow of fires could be seen over the capital.
Ukraine’s Air Force repeatedly warned of a ballistic missile threat and detected high-speed targets heading toward Kyiv. It had earlier warned of likely Russian cruise missile launches from strategic aircraft.
Kyiv’s military administration confirmed that Russian forces carried out a combined aerial assault, repeatedly urging residents to remain in underground shelters.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) reported that, as of 5:50 p.m. local time, the death toll rose to five, with rescuers still working to extinguish fires at three locations in the Holosiivskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts.
“Enemy shelling has continued nonstop since last night,” the SES said, adding that further information on the injured is still being confirmed.
At 10:01 p.m. local time, the SES announced that the number of wounded had risen to 35. The constant threat of repeated strikes had forced rescuers to retreat into shelters throughout the day, delaying efforts to fully extinguish the fires and assess the damage.
Residential buildings hit
Emergency crews reported extensive damage across several Kyiv districts.
In the Solomianskyi district, falling debris struck a five-story residential building and damaged a separate three-story home, leaving residents trapped inside as rescuers worked to reach them. A nearby warehouse also caught fire.
In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out on the grounds of an educational institution, while garages, vehicles and warehouses burned in the Podilskyi and Darnytskyi districts.
The deadly morning barrage intensified as a closely watched three-day diplomatic pause tied to visits by US envoys expired. But the truce had already begun to unravel late Monday, when Russian drones targeted the Kyiv region hours before Moscow’s own stated deadline.
Those strikes hit industrial facilities and a logistics complex in the Boryspil and Fastiv districts, destroying seven trucks and striking the logistics site twice before emergency crews extinguished the fires.
The assault underscored a grim reality for Ukrainians: even high-level diplomacy has failed to stop Moscow’s attacks on civilian cities.