Russia Bombards Kyiv with Record Drone and Missile Attack, Killing 17 and Injuring Over 100
Russia launched its most extensive aerial assault of the full-scale war overnight, firing 472 drones and missiles at Ukraine, with Kyiv’s civilian population bearing the brunt. The attack killed 17 people, including a child and a pregnant woman, and injured at least 114. Ukrainian authorities say the toll is likely to rise as more victims are recovered from the rubble.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces used 440 Shahed drones, two Kinzhal ballistic missiles, 16 Kh-101 cruise missiles, four Kalibr missiles, and other guided and anti-radar munitions. Ukrainian defenses shot down 428 aerial targets, but dozens broke through, striking residential buildings, homes, and civilian infrastructure.
Kyiv’s emergency services deployed over 2,000 rescue workers. Fires broke out across multiple districts. Apartment blocks were damaged or destroyed, and entire families were trapped in the wreckage. Ukrainian officials confirmed there were no military installations in the targeted areas.
First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko condemned the strikes as a calculated assault on civilians and expressed growing frustration with the international response.
“Russia struck Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa—raining missiles and drones onto civilians, murdering families in their beds. This is not war. These are massacres,” Svyrydenko said.
The attack came as leaders met at the G7 summit in Italy, where Ukrainian hopes for a firm response to Russia’s continued aggression were again met with ambiguity. While some partners pledged long-term support, the absence of immediate, concrete actions—especially from Washington—did not go unnoticed in Kyiv.
“Will the world hand Russia another greenlight through inaction?” Svyrydenko asked. “With promised consequences again never materializing?”
She added that the United States has still not sanctioned Russian oil and gas comprehensively, and that without financial pressure, Moscow is free to escalate.
“Yesterday at the G7, it felt as though Donald Trump was not there as a former U.S. president, but as Russia’s advocate,” she noted. “The message this sends to the Kremlin is clear: there will be no cost for killing civilians.”
The First Deputy Prime Minister warned that without a change in approach, these attacks will become the new normal—not just for Ukraine, but for Europe.
“The pattern is clear: what Russia perfects in Ukraine, it will export. Stopping this means consequences—not more statements. The Kremlin must learn that terror has a cost.”
As Kyiv clears the debris and buries its dead, Ukrainian officials are renewing urgent calls for additional air defenses, long-range weapons, and the political will to impose real economic consequences on Moscow.
For now, Russia continues to act with near-total impunity. And Ukraine continues to pay the price.
