A Russian missile barrage struck Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, killing at least 13 people and wounding 33 others, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attack hit residential buildings, warehouses, a medical facility and an educational institution across multiple districts of the capital.
Among the targets was a children's hospital in the Solomianskyi district west of central Kyiv. The strike blew out windows and burned vehicles parked nearby. At least two residential buildings in the area were also reported hit. Explosions were heard from the city center around midnight Wednesday, earlier than typical Russian strike timing, with additional waves of attacks continuing into Thursday morning.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched dozens of ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles along with 168 drones during the overnight bombardment. The weapons included Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles, Iskander and North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, and Shahed drones.
In the broader Kyiv region, an attack on the Brovary district killed one man and wounded another. Regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said an industrial facility was damaged and emergency services worked to extinguish fires at the site.
The strikes exposed Ukraine's vulnerability to continued Russian air attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the assault demonstrated why stronger international support is needed. "While Moscow is investing in ballistic missiles and escalation, such strikes do not always receive the response they should from the world," Zelenskyy stated on social media. "And as long as Ukraine does not have enough anti-ballistic defence, Russia will not consider peace seriously."
The attack prompted responses from neighboring NATO countries. Poland's military mobilized aircraft and activated air defenses in areas bordering Ukraine. Romania's defense ministry reported radar detection of aerial targets near the border overnight and scrambled two Spanish fighter jets and a Romanian helicopter. A drone entered Romanian airspace near Galati before crashing in an unpopulated area in Tulcea county.
Russia reported a large Ukrainian drone attack in return. Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 250 drones flew toward the Moscow region between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with most destroyed at considerable distance from the capital itself.
The latest strikes come as Ukraine escalates its own retaliatory attacks on Russian targets, including facilities supplying Moscow's military infrastructure. The attack on Kyiv also coincided with domestic political turmoil, as Zelenskyy dismissed senior aide Iryna Mudra following reports of searches related to alleged money laundering, extending a corruption scandal involving high-ranking officials.