Russian attack on Kyiv kills 11 and damages homes across capital
Ukrainian officials said missiles and drones hit residential areas and civilian infrastructure, injuring 54 people as rescue crews searched damaged buildings.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv overnight into Thursday, killing 11 people and damaging apartment blocks and other civilian sites, Ukrainian officials said. The attack sent residents into metro stations for shelter and left rescue crews searching through damaged buildings across the capital.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 11 people were killed in Kyiv and 20 residential buildings were damaged. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said 54 people were injured, including two children, and that damage had been recorded at 30 sites, mostly homes and civilian infrastructure.
The Associated Press reported that explosions were heard in Kyiv for hours during the assault, which involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials had issued warnings before many residents moved into shelters.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged people to stay in shelters while the attack was continuing. He said a paramedic was among those injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district and was in extremely critical condition.
Ukraine’s Emergency Service said a hotel and two five-story apartment buildings were damaged in Shevchenkivskyi. In the Holosiivskyi district, the service said a fire broke out on the roof of a 16-story building.
Klitschko said people were trapped in a damaged nine-story residential building in the Desnianskyi district, where rescuers were sent. Tkachenko also said a residential building in that district was partly destroyed.
In Sviatoshynskyi, the Emergency Service reported fires at two private homes, and Klitschko said people were trapped under debris at one of them. In Darnytskyi, Klitschko said six floors of a nine-story building collapsed after a Russian strike and another five-story apartment building was damaged.
The Emergency Service said a 16-story building and private homes were also damaged in Darnytskyi. Tkachenko said fires broke out near residential buildings in two places in Pecherskyi and near an administrative building in Solomianskyi, and that authorities were also documenting damage in Obolonskyi and Podilskyi.
Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration, said five districts in the wider Kyiv region sustained damage. He said three people were injured in the Bucha district.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Ukraine’s allies to send more air defense systems and missiles. Writing on X, he said the toll could rise as rescue work continued.
Sybiha rejected arguments that Russian strikes could be treated as retaliation for Ukraine’s long-range attacks. He said Ukraine was acting in self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter and described Russia as the aggressor.
The Associated Press reported that Russia has increased attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks. It also reported that Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian military targets and energy facilities have caused fuel shortages and supply disruptions inside Russia.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.