Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight, killing at least four people and injuring around 20, in response to Ukraine’s massive drone offensive from earlier this week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday that Russia had launched around 400 drones and 40 missiles at his country Thursday night. The drones and missiles slammed into Kyiv’s residential and government buildings, creating massive fires.
City authorities reported that the Russian strikes killed at least four people and injured around 20. Three emergency workers were killed during the strikes while responding to fires caused by suicide drones and missiles.
According to Kyiv authorities, the strikes caused severe disruptions in city services. On Friday morning, more than 2,000 homes in Kyiv were without electricity, and the city’s metro system was disrupted after a Russian missile struck a train moving between stations.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed via a Telegram post early Friday that search and rescue operations are ongoing and that the full scale of the damage is not known.
In addition to Kyiv, Russia targeted the Western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, where at least 10 people were injured, as well as the Poltava and Khmelnytskyi regions. Regional leaders say that Russia mostly targeted civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian leaders blasted Russian leadership over the strikes, calling on the international community to condemn and put pressure on Russia for the attacks.
“If someone does not put pressure and gives the war more time to take lives, they are complicit and responsible. We need to act decisively,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote early Friday.
Russia said its military carried out the strikes in response to what it called “terrorist acts” committed by Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv earlier this week of orchestrating terror attacks inside Russia after Ukraine detonated bombs on several civilian bridges.
Russia had also promised to respond to Ukraine’s surprise attack on Russia’s bomber fleet on Monday. The attack, involving hundreds of drones, hit at least five Russian airfields and reportedly destroyed or damaged dozens of heavy bomber planes.
In a phone call with President Trump on Wednesday, Mr. Putin vowed to respond to the strikes. Mr. Trump told reporters that the incoming attack is “probably not going to be pretty.”
Friday’s strikes cap off a bloody week in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Negotiators met on Monday in Istanbul to conduct another round of peace talks.
The session ended with no concrete path forward for peace, though the two sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner transfer.
