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Russia launched dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones at Ukraine early Friday, resulting in at least three fatalities in Kyiv.
This widespread assault came after President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for a recent Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airbases.
AFP journalists in Kyiv reported hearing air raid sirens and explosions throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems intercepted waves of incoming Russian drones and missiles.
Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to “decisively” increase pressure on Russia to halt its invasion, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths over three years of brutal fighting.
Kyiv residents described harrowing experiences. Ksenia, a Kyiv resident, recounted hearing a drone “coming very close” before an explosion left a charred hole in her apartment building.
“Our windows and windowpanes were blown out, but we got away with a slight shock,” she said, standing amidst debris.
An image shared by Zelensky’s office head showed a children’s playground littered with rubble.
Zelensky confirmed that at least three people were killed in the capital and that Russia had targeted nine Ukrainian regions, including Lviv and Volyn in the west, which border EU and NATO member Poland.
He implored allies to “act decisively,” stating on social media, “If someone does not put pressure and gives the war more time to take lives, they are complicit and responsible.”
The Ukrainian air force reported that Friday’s barrage involved 45 missiles and 407 drones.
Russian aerial assaults have grown in scale recently amidst concerns about Ukraine’s strained air defence capacity.
Putin had earlier this week conveyed to US President Donald Trump his intent to retaliate for Sunday’s Ukrainian drone attack, which damaged nuclear-capable military planes at Russian airbases, some located thousands of kilometres behind the front lines in Siberia.
That audacious Ukrainian operation, reportedly 18 months in the making, involved smuggling over 100 small drones into Russia for a coordinated strike.
The Kremlin had stated on Thursday it would choose “how and when” to respond.
Putin has consistently rejected ceasefires, with Russian negotiators demanding significant concessions from Ukraine to halt fighting, including troop withdrawals from four regions claimed by Russia (which its army does not fully control), an end to Western military support, and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO or hosting Western military hardware.
The overnight attack caused multiple fires in various Kyiv districts and damaged train tracks in the surrounding region, leading to significant delays.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko confirmed that the first three responders from the state emergency service were killed in Kyiv, with another nine wounded, some critically.
Several strikes also hit Lutsk and the Ternopil region in western Ukraine, with Ternopil’s military administration chief calling it “the most massive air attack on our region to date.” Zelensky stated that at least 49 people were wounded overall.
Meanwhile, Moscow reported three people wounded in Ukraine’s overnight strikes on Russia’s western Tula region.
Kyiv, conversely, claimed successful attacks on two airfields deep inside Russian territory. Social media footage showed a large fire and smoke at an oil facility serving a military site in Russia’s frequently targeted Saratov region.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed to have downed 174 Ukrainian drones overnight, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stating 10 were headed for the Russian capital.
