Massive Russian air attack

Massive Russian air attack on Ukraine kills at least 12 people

Moscow launched 650 drones and 73 cruise missiles in a fresh nighttime offensive that caused significant damage in Kyiv.

By Jonas Loesel

Kyiv was targeted in a large-scale Russian strike Tuesday, just over a week after another big attack on Ukraine’s capital.

The missile and drone barrage killed at least 12 people, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X. The authorities reported an additional 58 people had been injured.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack damaged or destroyed dozens of residential buildings, including four medical centers.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned Friday that fresh Russian air attacks were imminent — a warning he reiterated Monday night. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Moscow launched 650 drones and 73 cruise missiles in the nighttime offensive.

“Russia once again demonstrates that its goal is to terrorize the civilian population,” Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. “These are deliberate strikes on residential areas, hospitals, schools, and critical and civilian infrastructure.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged foreign diplomats to evacuate Ukraine’s capital last week, warning the country would soon begin “consistent and systemic strikes”.

Despite the carnage, Sybiha said the attack showed that “Moscow is losing on the battlefield. No number of missiles can change this.”

Ukrainian air defenses shot down the overwhelming majority of Russian drones, but only around half the missiles launched by the Kremlin. Zelenskyy sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump last week, warning that the country was running low on American ballistic missile interceptors.