Kyiv attack: Russian missiles and drones kill 12 as air defences face pressure

KYIV, Ukraine: Kyiv attack has killed at least 12 people and injured 34 after Russian missiles and drones struck residential and civilian areas overnight, Ukrainian officials said Thursday.

The attacks began around midnight as air-raid sirens sounded across the capital. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said apartment buildings and warehouses sustained damage, while a children’s hospital and a school were also hit.

The strikes disrupted electricity supplies to thousands of properties, leaving parts of the Kyiv region without power as emergency teams searched damaged sites and treated the wounded.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the casualties underscored Ukraine’s shortage of air-defence missiles, which the country relies heavily on Western partners to supply.

Zelenskyy argued that Russia would have little incentive to pursue peace while Ukraine lacks sufficient systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces used air-, land- and sea-launched weapons against Ukrainian military facilities and warehouses. Moscow also claimed that its forces had shot down 726 Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian authorities declared Friday a day of mourning for those killed in the overnight strikes.

The attacks also affected areas outside the capital. A strike in the Brovary and Boryspil districts of the wider Kyiv region killed one person and injured seven, while another attack in Donetsk Oblast left one person dead and 11 others wounded, according to local officials.

The latest barrage also prompted security measures in neighbouring countries. Romania’s Defence Ministry said a drone entered its airspace near the Ukrainian border before crashing in an uninhabited area. Poland’s military also launched defensive air operations to protect its airspace.

The strikes followed a recent escalation in long-range attacks by both sides. Ukraine launched about 600 drones towards Moscow over the weekend, while Russian officials said separate attacks in Russia this week killed at least 16 people, including a child.

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Ukraine has also intensified attacks against Russian economic infrastructure. Its Defence Ministry said recent strikes had disabled seven of the 10 logistics centres operated by Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer.

Diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have meanwhile made little progress, with Moscow and Kyiv continuing to accuse each other of targeting civilians.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, mainly in the east and south.

As Russian strikes continue and Ukraine faces pressure on its air-defence supplies, protecting civilians remains a major challenge for Kyiv.