At least four people were killed and over 30 injured in Kyiv early Friday after Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and attack drones across Ukraine. The deadly strike came shortly after President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for a daring Ukrainian drone attack that targeted Russian airbases deep inside its territory.
The Ukrainian capital was one of several cities hit during the overnight assault, which also targeted Lviv, Volyn, and the Ternopil region, areas bordering NATO and EU-member Poland.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the casualties, while the State Emergency Service said responders were battling fires and conducting rescue operations across multiple impact sites in the capital.
“Kyiv came under another attack involving UAVs and ballistic missiles. Rescuers are responding to the aftermath at several locations across the city,” the agency wrote on Telegram.
AFP journalists on the ground reported hearing repeated explosions and air raid sirens throughout the night, with visuals showing a high-rise residential building heavily damaged and a children’s playground covered in debris.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko revealed that three of the fatalities were emergency responders working to assist victims during the attack. An additional nine rescue workers were injured, some critically.
“They worked under fire to help people. Doctors are fighting to save their lives,” Klymenko said on social media.
The latest escalation follows a Ukrainian drone operation that targeted Russian military assets, including nuclear-capable aircraft, at airbases thousands of kilometers from the front lines. Ukrainian forces reportedly spent 18 months planning the operation, successfully smuggling over 100 drones into Russia disguised within wood cabins.
The Kremlin vowed “retaliation on its terms”, but gave no comment following Friday’s strikes.
Despite ongoing negotiations, Russia has refused calls for a ceasefire, demanding Ukraine surrender territories and abandon Western military ties—including any aspirations to join NATO.
Elsewhere, the attacks damaged railway lines in the Kyiv region, causing significant train delays. In western Ukraine, 15 people were wounded in Lutsk, and multiple hits were recorded in the Ternopil region, where officials called it the “most massive air attack to date.”
Meanwhile, Russia claimed Ukrainian strikes injured three people in its Tula region overnight, with the Russian Ministry of Defence stating that 174 Ukrainian drones were downed, including 10 aimed at Moscow.
The latest violence underscores the ever-intensifying scale of the war, now in its third year since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. With over 100,000 casualties, the destruction of entire towns, and millions displaced, the prospect of peace remains distant as both sides harden their military and diplomatic positions.
More updates to follow as the situation unfolds.
