Kyiv At least 30 people have been killed and 91 others injured after Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in an overnight attack involving nearly 500 drones and more than 70 missiles.
The massive bombardment struck residential neighborhoods and critical infrastructure across the city, leaving widespread destruction and forcing tens of thousands of residents to seek shelter underground. Rescue operations continued on Friday as emergency workers searched for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Residents recount terrifying night
Among those caught in the attack was 61 year old Iryna Moskaeva, who fled her apartment with her children after a powerful explosion shattered their windows and jammed the front door.
“There was nowhere to go,” Moskaeva told CNN after firefighters rescued the family from the damaged building.
She said it was the second time her home had been struck during the war. Now unable to return to her apartment, Moskaeva said she had no electricity, no clothes to change into and no certainty about how she would get to work.
The attack forced thousands of Kyiv residents into underground shelters, with many spending the entire night in metro stations as explosions echoed across the city.
One of the biggest attacks on Kyiv
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched nearly 500 drones and more than 70 missiles in what it described as a “massive combined strike,” attacking Kyiv from multiple directions simultaneously.
Although Ukrainian air defenses intercepted most of the incoming weapons, officials said 33 missiles and drones struck their targets.
Emergency response teams were dispatched to 59 locations throughout the capital to deal with fires, collapsed buildings and other damage.
As of Friday morning, Kyiv city military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said at least 30 people had been confirmed dead while 91 others were injured. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as rescuers continued searching through the rubble.
Residential buildings suffer heavy damage
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks damaged dozens of locations across Kyiv, with residential apartment buildings suffering the greatest destruction.
An ambulance station, a research institute, a hotel and several businesses were also damaged during the strikes.
During a visit to one of the worst hit apartment blocks, Zelensky said 64 apartments had been destroyed and at least three people had died in that building alone.
“The attack was specifically designed by the Russians to cause maximum damage,” Zelensky said.
He also renewed calls for Ukraine’s Western allies to provide additional Patriot air defense systems, saying shortages of anti ballistic missile defenses left the country vulnerable to attacks of this scale.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko described it as “a terrible night for Kyiv,” saying the heaviest destruction occurred in the Darnytskyi district, where part of a residential building was completely blown away.
Search teams continued looking for survivors, including a missing 15 year old girl and members of her family believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
Russia says strike was retaliation
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the assault targeted military and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions.
Moscow described the attack as retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes on civilian infrastructure inside Russia.
Ukraine rejected that claim, saying the overwhelming majority of the damage occurred in civilian neighborhoods and residential buildings.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Russia would continue increasing military pressure on Ukraine in pursuit of its objectives.
Ukraine strikes back
While Kyiv endured the overnight bombardment, Ukraine also launched long range attacks inside Russia.
Ukraine’s military said it struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Kstovo and targeted a railway bridge over the Donets River that it said was being used for Russian military logistics.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 327 Ukrainian drones launched overnight.
The exchange highlighted the growing intensity of long range strikes by both sides, with Ukraine increasingly targeting Russian energy infrastructure while Russia continues large scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Calls for stronger international support
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha urged Ukraine’s allies to move beyond statements of condemnation and take stronger action against Russia.
“We demand strong international responses. Not only words of condemnation but concrete action to stop Russian terror,” he said.
Zelensky had warned residents a day before the attack that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing a major strike, urging people to pay close attention to air raid alerts.
Thousands sought refuge in Kyiv’s subway system before the bombardment began, spending nearly 11 hours underground as sirens sounded and explosions rocked the capital.
More than four years after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine, both sides continue to intensify long range attacks, while civilians remain among those paying the highest price.
Source: CNN
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