Kyiv hit in overnight Russian missile and drone attack; one dead
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired 41 missiles and 125 drones nationwide, with most missiles aimed at Kyiv.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
A Russian overnight strike on Kyiv killed one person and injured 16 others, local Ukrainian authorities said, in an attack that showed the capital remains a main target of Moscow’s missile campaign. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 attack drones across the country, including 25 ballistic missiles.
The assault began around 1:30 a.m. local time and lasted for several hours, Ukrainian officials said. Explosions were heard across Kyiv as air defenses responded to the incoming weapons.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most of the missiles were directed at the capital. Ukraine’s air force said Ukrainian units intercepted or suppressed 108 drones and 18 missiles during the broader overnight barrage.
Fires and damaged buildings across Kyiv
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the strikes set off fires in five Kyiv districts. The agency said residential buildings, offices, industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles were damaged.
Emergency crews rescued four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, the service said. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, rescuers evacuated residents from a burning three-story building and later found one person dead, officials said.
Firefighters also worked in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts, the State Emergency Service said. A separate fire in a nonresidential building was brought under control.
Viktoria Shejko, 32, said she sheltered in the corridor of her apartment building with her husband and seven children after the alarm sounded. “Then it started exploding one missile after another,” she said.
Shejko said the frequency of ballistic missile attacks had taken a psychological toll on residents. She said such strikes had previously come about once a week or less, but recently had been happening “if not every day, then every other day.”
Moscow says military-linked sites were targeted
Russia’s defense ministry said the Kyiv attack was aimed at facilities tied to Ukraine’s military. It cited sites it said were involved in producing Flamingo drones and parts for Neptune guided missiles, as well as a postal terminal it alleged was used to store dual-use goods and assemble drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment.
Ukraine has faced repeated large-scale Russian attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials have said the country has been short of Patriot air defense missiles, which are its most effective interceptors against Russian ballistic missiles.
Ukraine said it shot down at least 17 ballistic missiles in Sunday’s attack, a result that suggested it may have received some additional Patriot interceptor missiles. In a major Russian attack earlier this month, Ukraine said it did not intercept any ballistic missiles, exposing weaknesses in its air defenses.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is ready to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. The timing and details of such a move remain unclear.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.