The Scale of the Attack
Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones at Ukraine's capital in the early hours on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian air force. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia deployed 570 aerial objects during the attack, nearly 500 of which were drones. Among the missiles were 24 Iskander ballistic missiles, about 50 cruise missiles of various types, and four Zircon hypersonic guided missiles primarily developed to target ships. Air defence units shot down most of those weapons but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones still struck 33 locations across the city.
Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, called it the "most massive enemy attack" since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago. The bombardment lasted for some 11 hours and damaged around 130 buildings, causing what Klitschko described as the widest destruction in Kyiv so far this year. Damage was recorded across the city. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, reported 30 locations damaged, while other accounts cited higher numbers.
Casualties and Shelter
At least 21 people were killed and more than 90 people were injured in the strikes, according to Deutsche Welle. The State Emergency Service initially reported at least 17 people killed in the capital. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described it as a "night of horror" in Kyiv, saying the death toll may rise as rescue teams continued their work.
Over 50,000 people sought shelter in subway stations following air raid warnings. Multiple explosions shook buildings and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations. In the Darnytskyi district, a nine-story residential building suffered the most significant destruction, with part of the building literally blown away. Among those missing were a 15-year-old girl and her family, Klitschko said.
Damage to Infrastructure
An ambulance station was among the civilian infrastructure sites hit, with nine ambulances damaged and six station employees injured. A hotel roof caught fire on the central Shevchenko Boulevard. In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a 16-story building. In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fire broke out in two private residencies, with debris trapping people in one of them.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged in the strikes. Emergency workers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings as residents lined up for materials to patch up their homes.
Zelenskyy's Plea for Weapons
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut short a visit to Dublin, Ireland, after intelligence reports indicated a major Russian assault was likely. He asked Washington for a license to make Patriot missiles, calling air defense supplies "an absolute necessity." Speaking with journalists at the scene of one of the strikes on Thursday, Zelenskyy said the overnight attack demonstrated how weapons deliveries were "too slow" and that political debates within and among supporting countries were slowing shipments of desperately needed air defenses.
Zelenskyy said that delay was a "big problem, because these people lost not only their apartments, they lost their children, their families, their life." He acknowledged "a lot of internal questions in the United States" and Europe, noting "a lot of different countries live from elections to elections." He urged American officials to visit Kyiv "to see, to understand and to explain to president Trump" what was needed, saying "we need more than words."
The Broader Conflict
Russia said the drone and missile attacks were retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes that targeted Moscow earlier this week. That Ukrainian drone assault came less than two weeks after Ukraine hit a major oil refinery in the Moscow region. Ukraine is now producing better long-range drones and has struck targets deep inside Russia, targeting energy infrastructure and military targets in recent weeks.
A new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday said that Russian forces suffered approximately 1.4 million battlefield casualties between February 2022 and June 2026, with between 400,000 and 450,000 fatalities during the same period. Ukrainian forces suffered between 525,000 and 625,000 casualties and between 125,000 and 150,000 fatalities during the same timeframe. Combined, Russian and Ukrainian forces suffered more than 1.9 million casualties, with estimates ranging up to 2 million killed or wounded since the war began.
Zelenskyy vowed to retaliate for Russia's strikes while visiting an apartment building partially destroyed in the attack. "Russia is losing," he said. "Ukrainians will win this war."
