Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on the Ukrainian capital early Friday, killing three first responders and injuring dozens across the country, Ukrainian officials said. The strikes came in apparent retaliation for a series of recent Ukrainian drone attacks that destroyed several Russian strategic bombers deep inside Russian territory.
The barrage, among the most intense in recent months, began just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump relayed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would respond to the Ukrainian strikes. Powerful explosions echoed across Kyiv and multiple cities, damaging civilian infrastructure and disrupting transportation.
Kyiv’s military administration confirmed that three emergency personnel were killed while responding to a strike site. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko described the victims as first responders who died while performing rescue operations.
“Overnight, Russia responded to its destroyed aircraft by attacking civilians in Ukraine,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on the social media platform X.. “Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged.”
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia used 407 drones in the attack—one of the largest drone offensives to date—along with 45 cruise and ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 49 people were injured nationwide. He urged Ukraine’s Western allies to increase pressure on Moscow.
“If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability,” Zelenskiy wrote on X. “We must act decisively.”
The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes, claiming they targeted military and military-related infrastructure in response to what it labelled “Ukrainian terrorist acts.”
Capital Hit Hard
Kyiv’s metro system was temporarily shut down after a missile damaged tracks between stations. The national railway company also reported disruptions, rerouting several trains due to track damage near the capital.
In the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv, a drone slammed into the side of a residential apartment building, blowing a hole through the upper floors and causing fires. Debris crushed parked cars, and investigators were seen examining what appeared to be the drone’s engine.
Eyewitnesses reported the sound of kamikaze drones buzzing overhead and anti-aircraft fire from Ukrainian defences throughout the night.
The western city of Ternopil was also hit, leaving parts of the city without power. Local officials said 10 people were injured, and residents were advised to stay indoors due to toxic smoke from a fire at an industrial site.
In Lutsk, a city in the northwest, 15 people were wounded when missiles struck homes, educational institutions, and a government facility.
Ukrainian Strikes Inside Russia
Ukraine’s military said it had launched a preemptive strike overnight on two Russian air bases—Engels and Dyagilevo—both key facilities for Russia’s strategic bomber fleet. Ukrainian forces also struck at least three Russian fuel depots.
The attacks follow a daring operation last weekend in which Ukrainian intelligence reportedly used quadcopter drones smuggled into Russia to destroy multiple bombers parked at airbases. The drones had been concealed in wooden sheds, according to Ukrainian sources.
Following a phone conversation with President Putin earlier this week, former U.S. President Donald Trump said Moscow was preparing a response to the drone strikes. Friday’s barrage appears to have been that response, marking a dramatic escalation in the conflict. As both sides continue to trade attacks deep behind each other’s lines, the war, now in its third year, shows no sign of abating.
reuters/s.s