At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured after a large‑scale Russian attack on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight into Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. The strikes hit a children’s hospital in the Solomianskyi district, a school, a preschool, residential blocks and several warehouses.
Widespread damage and civilian impact
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed shattered windows at the children’s hospital and extensive damage to other civilian structures. Residents described hearing multiple explosions and seeing thick smoke over the capital for hours. “The missiles narrowly missed us by about ten minutes,” 31‑year‑old Anastasiia Kovtun told Reuters, noting she and her neighbors fled to a bomb shelter in a parking garage before the road they returned to was bombed.
Russian claims and Ukrainian response
Russia’s defence ministry said it launched a “massive strike using high‑precision weapons” against military facilities, a transport hub and warehouses in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack combined cruise missiles, drones and other projectiles aimed at civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian forces continued to intercept large numbers of Russian drones, though Kyiv’s stock of Patriot interceptor missiles remains critically low, with only about 10% of the needed supply from the United States and allies.
Spillover into neighboring countries
Romania reported that an explosive‑laden naval drone, believed to be Russian, targeted an offshore natural‑gas project before crashing in an uninhabited area of Tulcea County near the Ukrainian border. The Romanian defence ministry scrambled two F‑16 fighter jets to destroy the marine drone. Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, said a drone also entered Moldovan territory, violating its airspace. Both nations called the incidents examples of “hybrid warfare” and urged stronger pressure on Russia.
Regional reactions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the naval drone as part of an escalating campaign that threatens European citizens. Poland announced preventative military aviation operations to protect its own airspace during the strikes.
Ukrainian counter‑offensive
While Moscow continues nightly attacks, Kyiv stepped up its own aerial campaign, launching more than 800 drones at Russian targets on Sunday, one of the largest Ukrainian drone offensives of the war. Russia’s state news agency TASS called it the biggest Ukrainian drone attack since the start of the year, noting many drones headed toward the Moscow region.
In the 24‑hour period surrounding the attacks, Ukraine’s overall death toll rose to 25 with 132 injured, according to regional military administrations. Rescue workers continue to pull survivors from rubble and fight fires across the capital.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
