At least eight people were killed and 34 others injured, including medical workers, after a barrage of Russian drones and ballistic missiles struck Kyiv early Thursday, city officials said.
The multi-wave overnight assault damaged residential buildings and a medical facility, with destruction reported across several districts of the Ukrainian capital.
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The attack came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukrainian intelligence had detected preparations for a massive Russian strike.
Explosions shake Kyiv overnight
As air defense units engaged incoming targets, multiple explosions echoed across Kyiv after Ukraine’s Air Force warned that ballistic missiles were approaching the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was under a “furious enemy attack” involving ballistic missiles and drones.
Residents were urged to remain in shelters throughout the night as the assault unfolded in several waves.
Medical workers among injured
Emergency crews worked through the night at several impact sites as officials reported fires, partial destruction and people trapped under rubble.
In the Shevchenkivskyi district, a medical facility was partially destroyed. Klitschko said five of those injured were medical workers, including a paramedic in extremely serious condition. A market in the district also caught fire after falling debris.
In the Desnianskyi district, officials reported damage to a nine-story residential building, where people were believed to be trapped.
Russian Strike Partially Destroys Kyiv Residential Building, Injures 5
In the Darnytskyi district, falling debris caused a fire and partial destruction of a five-story residential building.
In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out in a high-rise residential building.
“Unfortunately, one person was killed by the enemy attack,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Earlier, Klitschko said six injured people had been hospitalized. The injury toll later rose to 16.
Zelensky warned of massive strike
The attack began late Wednesday night with drones entering Kyiv from several directions before officials warned of ballistic missiles heading toward the capital from the north.
The assault followed a warning from Zelensky during a visit to Ireland on Wednesday that Russia was preparing another large-scale strike against Ukraine.
“We know that [Vladimir] Putin has been preparing a massive strike on Ukraine for some time now,” Zelensky said hours before the attack. “Tonight, this is exactly the threat we face.”
Municipal teams and first responders remained deployed across the city early Thursday. Kyiv officials said the full scale of the destruction and the final casualty toll were still being clarified.
Terror as a political tool
The overnight bombardment of Kyiv highlights a familiar Kremlin strategy as Western leaders prepare for the upcoming NATO summit. Unable to achieve a breakthrough on the battlefield or defeat Ukrainian forces on the front lines, Russia has repeatedly turned its fire on dense civilian areas, seeking to compensate for military stagnation with terror.
Ukrainian officials have emphasized that strikes on hospitals, markets and apartment blocks are not random acts of war, but part of a deliberate campaign to break civilian resolve and pressure Kyiv into accepting a compromised settlement on Moscow’s terms.
The barrage also carries a message for Russia’s domestic audience, where mounting Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian military, logistics and energy targets have exposed the Kremlin’s vulnerability to Ukraine’s evolving long-range warfare technology. By unleashing destruction on Kyiv, Moscow is attempting to project strength at home while trying to intimidate Ukraine abroad.
Instead, the latest devastation in the capital is expected to intensify Ukraine’s calls at the upcoming NATO gathering for expanded air defenses, more interceptors and the removal of remaining restrictions on strikes against Russian military targets used to attack Ukrainian cities.
For Ukrainians, the attack is unlikely to weaken their resolve to continue the fight for every inch of occupied territory.
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