Russian Missiles and Drones Strike Ukraine in Hours-Long Attack, Killing at Least 16

Russia’s Massive Aerial Barrage Kills at Least 16 Across Ukraine

Russia hammered civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a devastating attack that stretched for hours from daylight into darkness, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 80 others, Ukrainian officials reported Thursday.

The bombardment, described as the biggest aerial assault in almost two weeks, saw Moscow deploy nearly 700 drones and multiple ballistic and cruise missiles primarily targeting civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down or disabling 667 out of 703 incoming targets, including 636 Shahed-type drones.

In Kyiv, at least four people were killed, including a 12-year-old child, with over 50 others injured. Tetiana Sokol, a 54-year-old resident of the capital, described how two missiles struck near her home, forcing her to take cover with her dog in the hallway as windows shattered from the blast wave.

“On the third attack everything broke, everything flew, we were shocked, we didn’t know where to run,” Sokol told The Associated Press. “I still can’t find the cats in the house, they climbed out somewhere. No windows, nothing, the dog is still walking around in stress.”

The strikes damaged 17 apartment buildings, 10 private homes, a hotel, office center, car dealership, gas station and a shopping mall in Kyiv alone, according to local authorities.

The southern port city of Odesa reported nine deaths and 23 injuries. In the central Dnipro region, three women were killed and approximately three dozen people wounded, while one person died in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine.

“Such attacks cannot be normalized. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated on X.

The latest barrage follows a similar pattern in Russia’s four-year war against its neighbor. Last month, Moscow unleashed 948 drones and 34 missiles in a 24-hour period in what was described as the largest assault of the war on civilian areas. According to United Nations estimates, Russian strikes have killed more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians since the full-scale invasion began.

The attack came just as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded a 48-hour diplomatic mission to Germany, Norway, and Italy, where he urgently sought more sophisticated air defense systems to protect Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.

“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, thanking Germany, Norway, and Italy for new agreements on bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses. Officials are also working with the Netherlands on additional supplies, he noted.

However, Zelenskyy pointed out that some partner countries haven’t followed through on pledges of military support. “I have instructed the Commander of the Air Force to contact those partners who earlier committed to providing missiles for Patriot and other systems,” he said.

Ukraine has developed a significant domestic arms industry, particularly in drone and missile production, but still lacks the sophistication of American-made Patriot air defense systems. Securing allies’ help to purchase and build better air defenses remains Ukraine’s top diplomatic priority.

The country also faces financial challenges, awaiting the disbursement of a promised €90 billion ($106 billion) loan from the European Union that has been blocked by Hungary. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern that the conflict in Iran is depleting stockpiles of advanced American-made systems that Kyiv desperately needs.

Meanwhile, Russia reported Ukrainian counterstrikes on its territory. In the Black Sea port of Tuapse in Russia’s Krasnodar region, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said a 14-year-old girl and a woman were killed. The attacks reportedly damaged six apartment buildings, 24 private houses, and three schools, with drone fragments falling near the port facilities.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses downed 207 Ukrainian drones overnight, though these figures could not be independently verified.

As the war approaches the end of its fourth year with no resolution in sight, civilian populations on both sides continue to bear the brunt of a conflict that has evolved into one of Europe’s deadliest since World War II.