Ukraine's capital Kiev experienced one of its worst nights since the start of the war, as Russia launched rockets, cruise missiles and drones at the city of 3 million, killing at least 21 people and injuring another 86, officials said on Thursday.
Seventy people had to be taken to hospital. By late afternoon rescue workers were still searching through the rubble for survivors and more victims, as the death toll looked likely to rise further.
Russia claimed that the targets were purely military. However, several residential buildings were destroyed in the barrage, while a hotel and the building of a telecoms provider in the city centre were also hit. Several internet service providers reported disruptions.
The Kyiv Independent described the attack as one of the heaviest since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Residents in Kiev took shelter in metro stations, with many spending the entire night underground in tents.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a 10-year-old boy was among those seriously injured in the capital. "His parents were not found among the rubble," Klitschko wrote on Telegram, adding that the boy's grandfather was with him in hospital, where the child was undergoing surgery.
Air raid alerts and explosions were also reported in other parts of the country, including Zaporizhzhya and Pavlohrad in the south-east, as well as Sumy and Kharkiv in the north-east. Zaporizhzhya Governor Ivan Fedorov said in the morning that three people had been injured. Further information on possible damage or casualties in the other cities was not immediately available.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia deployed 570 aerial objects during the attack, including just under 500 drones. The Russian military also fired 24 Iskander ballistic missiles and around 50 cruise missiles of various types at Kiev. These also included four Zircon hypersonic guided missiles, which were actually developed to combat ships.
The attack had been anticipated, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warning his compatriots on Wednesday to expect an imminent large-scale strike. Nonetheless, the sheer number and variety of weapons were able to overwhelm Kiev's air defences, as Russia overburdened the system with several waves of coordinated attacks.
Ukraine regards itself as relatively effective at defending against drones - the military said it had intercepted 524 aerial objects, mainly drones, overnight - while the interception rate for cruise missiles is significantly lower.
Western allies have provided Ukraine with air defence weapons, but the missiles for these systems are expensive and in short supply, a situation that has become even more acute since the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Russia speaks of military targets
Despite the high number of civilian casualties, the Russian military claimed the strikes were carried out "with high-precision weapons" against military targets. According to Moscow, one of the targets hit was a factory producing guidance systems for Ukrainian Flamingo missiles.
In addition, electronics plants and a fuel depot used by the Ukrainian army were reportedly destroyed.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Ukraine has not provided information regarding possible hits.
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the attack, which spokesman Dmitry Peskov also referred to as being aimed solely at "military or military-related targets," according to the TASS news agency.
Zelensky calls for stronger air defences
Zelensky called for faster air defence aid, writing on X that air defence supplies "are an absolute and critical priority."
He stressed the importance of every contribution through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) - under which NATO countries purchase weapons in the United States and transfer them to Ukraine.
"Every bilateral agreement we reach with our partners on air defense truly makes a difference," Zelensky added.
He also expressed the hope that the US would grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot defence missiles.
EU vows further sanctions on Russia
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that the European Union is preparing further sanctions for Russia after the overnight strikes.
"Words of condemnation alone will not stop attacks on Kyiv," Kallas said in a post on X.
"Only sustained military support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Moscow can do that," she said. "Today, I will propose to sanction more entities supporting Russia's military-industrial complex in response to the strikes."
Germany's Foreign Office meanwhile condemned the strikes. "People were killed or injured in their sleep, homes were destroyed and civilian infrastructure, such as a medical facility, was severely damaged," a spokesman said.
The spokesman said Germany would work with its partners to increase the pressure on Moscow, and that support for Ukraine would be on the agenda at next week's NATO summit in Turkey.
