Media365
Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Thursday, triggering multiple explosions, fires and the partial collapse of a nine-storey residential building, according to Ukrainian officials.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a nine-storey residential building in the Desnyanskyi district partially collapsed after a direct strike, leaving people trapped inside. He said emergency crews were carrying out rescue operations while urging residents to remain in shelters.The mayor said at least 11 people were injured in the attack. In the Holosiivskyi district, the roof of a multi-storey residential building caught fire, while a fire also broke out on the roof of a hotel in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. Klitschko later said five medical workers were among those wounded.According to The New York Times, air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv late Wednesday night, followed by waves of Russian attack drones and ballistic missiles. Residents reported sustained air defence fire before a series of powerful explosions shook the city, with fires breaking out at multiple locations, including a large blaze in the city centre. Many people took shelter in subway stations with sleeping bags and pets after authorities warned of an imminent large-scale strike.Hours before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing another “massive strike” on Kyiv and urged residents to heed air raid alarms and remain “especially careful.”The latest assault came hours after Ukraine carried out long-range strikes inside Russia. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces targeted a large Russian oil refinery in Ufa and a military complex in the Penza region. He also said Ukraine struck a satellite communications centre in Russia’s Moscow region the previous night as Kyiv intensified attacks aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow to end the war.Speaking in Ireland before returning to Ukraine, Zelensky said, “Putin wants to keep fighting. That is why he must face conditions that make it impossible for him to keep this war going.”The latest escalation comes as both sides continue to intensify long-range attacks. Earlier on Wednesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US-based think tank, estimated that total troop casualties in the war had surpassed 2 million. According to the report, Russia has suffered about 1.4 million casualties, including around 450,000 deaths, while Ukrainian casualties are estimated at between 525,000 and 625,000, including 125,000 to 150,000 deaths. The report said Russian advances in 2026 have been limited and described Moscow’s gains as “among the slowest rates of advance in any war over the last century.”Meanwhile, Russia renewed its criticism of continued US military assistance to Ukraine. Speaking at a weekly briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Washington against supplying more weapons to Kyiv.“In our discussions with Washington, we have repeatedly emphasised that supplying military equipment to the Kyiv regime could have unforeseen consequences for stability both regionally and globally,” Zakharova said.
