Russians bombard Kyiv’s civilian population in relentless seven hour attack
KYIV — Russia launched a six-hour overnight assault on Ukraine’s capital, targeting multiple residential districts with ballistic missiles and Shahed drones. The attack, which began late on Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday, caused fires, injuries, and widespread structural damage. Ukrainian officials say the strikes once again demonstrate that Russia is now directing its war efforts primarily at the civilian population.
According to Kyiv’s city administration, air defence units intercepted many of the incoming threats, but debris from intercepted drones and missiles caused significant harm in at least six districts of the capital.
No military targets were reported.
In Solomianskyi district, a fire broke out across fourth and fifth floors of a residential building. Seven people were injured, and one was rescued by emergency services. Local authorities established a coordination centre on Vitalii Skakun Street to manage the response and provide aid to displaced residents.
The Obolonskyi district, one of the hardest hit areas, sustained some of the most serious damage. At least four impact sites were confirmed, including a shopping mall and a residential building where drone debris damaged apartments from the third to the sixth floor. Five people were injured, and two others were saved. The local administration reported extensive damage to windows and facades. A crisis response headquarters was opened at Obolonskyi Avenue 32B to support residents.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said that more than a dozen drones and several missiles were involved in the assault. “This was a deliberate attempt to strike civilian infrastructure and sow fear,” he said.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly accused Russia of using long-range weapons primarily against civilian targets—a claim supported by the growing proportion of residential, commercial, and non-military sites damaged in recent months. This attack adds to a pattern of night-time bombardments designed to maximise psychological impact.
Ukraine’s Emergency Service and local officials emphasised that all known fires had been contained by mid-morning and that emergency teams remained on site in affected districts. Temporary shelters and food distribution points have been set up for those displaced.
The attack comes amid continued calls from Ukrainian officials for increased Western support for air defence systems. In a statement following the strikes, the Ministry of Defence reiterated that Russia’s ongoing campaign against civilians is made possible by gaps in Ukraine’s aerial protection.
“Without additional systems, attacks like this will continue,” the ministry said. “This is not warfare—it is targeted violence against a civilian population.”
Metro stations around the capital were filled with sheltering residents until just after dawn.
One resident of Kyiv’s Obolon district commented on the political situation,
“These Russians are not people. and it seems that our American friends have chosen to side with them. It is a very dark situation. Not just for Ukraine, because with Trump now in Putin’s pocket, Russians will undoubtedly attempt to take all Europe.”
Authorities have not reported any fatalities from the latest attack, but damage assessments are ongoing. What is clear, however, is that Russia shows no intention of scaling back its assault on Ukrainian cities. Instead, the Kremlin is intensifying its efforts to terrorise the civilian population, broadening the war’s scope and deepening its brutality.
As Moscow escalates, calls for stronger Western action grow more urgent—particularly in light of the possibility that U.S. policy could again be shaped by Donald Trump, a former president whose erratic statements and soft posture toward Putin continue to raise concerns about Washington’s resolve in the face of Russian aggression.
