At least eight people were killed and more than three dozen others injured after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, overnight, causing widespread destruction across the city.
The strikes triggered explosions that echoed for hours, damaging residential buildings, setting fires, and forcing thousands of residents to seek shelter in underground metro stations. Ukrainian authorities said all 10 districts of Kyiv were affected by the attack.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a direct strike caused six floors of an apartment building to collapse. He added that emergency workers, including paramedics and ambulance drivers, were among those injured, while rescue teams continued searching for people trapped beneath the rubble.
Fires also broke out at a hotel on the city’s central Shevchenko Boulevard and in several residential buildings across different districts. Authorities reported additional damage to administrative buildings and other infrastructure.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned of a possible overnight attack and cut short his visit to Dublin as air raid alerts spread across much of the country.
The Kyiv City Military Administration said residential buildings in several districts suffered heavy damage, while fires erupted in homes and commercial areas. Emergency services were deployed throughout the capital to extinguish blazes and assist affected residents.
The latest assault comes as Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on military and energy facilities inside Russia. Russian officials said air defence systems intercepted several Ukrainian drones over the Leningrad region, while authorities in the Belgorod region reported that one civilian was killed and another injured in a separate drone strike.
Neighbouring Poland briefly scrambled fighter jets as a precaution during the attack but later confirmed there had been no violation of its airspace. Finland also temporarily imposed an aviation restriction zone in the eastern Gulf of Finland before lifting the measure.