SouthernWorldwide.com – Russia launched one of its most intense overnight assaults on Kyiv, deploying hundreds of drones and numerous missiles against the Ukrainian capital. This attack, which caused significant destruction in residential areas, resulted in at least 18 fatalities and over 90 injuries, according to reports from Reuters.
One resident described the harrowing experience, stating their mother-in-law in Kyiv recounted unprecedented terror, feeling as though a biblical apocalypse was unfolding. The overwhelming sentiment among those in the capital was one of constant prayer.
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For hours, explosions reverberated through central Kyiv, prompting thousands of residents to seek refuge in bomb shelters and underground metro stations. This offensive caused the most extensive damage seen in the capital this year, marking the deadliest strike since at least May, when an attack on an apartment block claimed 24 lives.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia deployed 74 missiles and 496 drones during the overnight hours, as per Reuters.
Yuri Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, highlighted the unusually high number of ballistic missiles and the low interception rate. This situation underscores Ukraine’s ongoing struggle with a critical shortage of Patriot missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who curtailed a visit to Ireland to return to Ukraine, confirmed that damage was reported at over 20 locations across the capital.
“The primary target was Kyiv,” Zelenskyy stated. “The provision of air defense systems for Ukraine is an absolute and paramount priority.”
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Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning and reported widespread damage throughout the city of approximately 3 million inhabitants.
“Despite this, this barbaric Russia continues to be treated at the UN as a normal member state,” he remarked. “It is time to end this parallel reality. Russia’s status as a permanent member of the Security Council should finally be questioned. Russia should be treated for what it has become: a pariah state.”
Emergency services were seen sifting through the debris of a nine-story building on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, with fires still smoldering after dawn. City officials indicated that some individuals remained trapped within damaged residential structures.
Footage captured from within Kyiv depicted the overnight barrage, including scenes of a baby sleeping amidst flashing explosions outside an open window and smoke from a recent strike rising nearby. Other visuals showed residents taking shelter near a metro station during the strikes, alongside extensive damage across Kyiv, with residential buildings destroyed and thick plumes of smoke hanging over parts of the city.
Over 20 sites sustained damage, including residential buildings, diplomatic housing, and the National Institute of Biochemistry, where a state-of-the-art laboratory and offices were devastated.
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Katarina Mathernova, the European Union’s ambassador to Ukraine, described Russia’s actions as unleashing “hell on Kyiv” overnight, specifically targeting accommodation used by diplomatic personnel. While diplomats were unharmed, their belongings were damaged in a fire that consumed the building, she added.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced via Telegram that its “massive attack” employed long-range, high-precision weapons and drones aimed at military and energy facilities, as well as airports in Kyiv and other locations. Moscow asserted that the attack was a retaliatory measure for Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory.
Ukraine reported successfully hitting an oil refinery overnight in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, where the regional governor confirmed one fatality from a strike on an industrial facility.
The Kremlin stated that Russian military commanders briefed President Vladimir Putin on the attacks and affirmed Moscow’s intent to intensify pressure on Ukraine to achieve its wartime objectives.
Poland, a NATO and European Union member bordering Ukraine, briefly scrambled fighter jets as a precautionary measure. Finland also temporarily implemented a restricted aviation zone in the eastern Gulf of Finland, according to its defense forces.
“Two Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft deployed under the Enhanced Air Policing mission and operating from the 86th Air Base in Fetești in Romania, were scrambled to monitor the Romanian airspace situation near the border with Ukraine,” stated Țoiu. “A Romanian Air Force IAR 330 Puma helicopter was also deployed. Such incidents have constantly accompanied Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Thursday that she would propose new sanctions against entities supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex in response to the attacks.
“The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed,” Kallas posted on X.
Russia has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian civilians through strikes on Kyiv and other cities since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Moscow denies intentionally targeting civilians, but maintains that attacks on what it terms civil infrastructure are justified as they impact Ukraine’s capacity to conduct warfare.
