Key facts
- Russia conducted a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine.
- At least 22 people were killed and over 130 injured across the country.
- Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv regions sustained significant damage.
- Residential buildings and medical facilities were among the targets.
- Ukraine's air force reported intercepting a significant portion of the incoming munitions.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack across Ukraine, resulting in at least 22 deaths and over 130 injuries, according to officials. The capital, Kyiv, was a primary target, with significant damage also reported in the Dnipro and Kharkiv regions.
In the northeastern Sumy region, two people were killed and two wounded by Russian bombs, drones, and missiles, Ukraine's police stated. Separately, in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, five individuals, including three children, required medical assistance after a Russian bombing, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko indicated that Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv regions sustained the most significant damage. In Kyiv alone, at least six people were killed, while Dnipro reported 16 fatalities, including two children. Ukrainian air force officials claimed to have intercepted or suppressed a substantial number of the incoming munitions, stating Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones, with 40 missiles and 602 drones intercepted.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the attack as a clear message from Russia and appealed for Europe to develop its own anti-ballistic defense systems, urgently requesting missile supplies for Patriot systems from the United States. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted that four medical facilities were among the damaged buildings in the capital. Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, reported that a nine-story residential building in Kyiv's Podilskyi district collapsed, with people potentially trapped under the rubble.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as 'horrific' and labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'war criminal and loser.' He urged international partners to provide more aid, increase pressure on Russia through new sanctions, and accelerate Ukraine's European Union membership negotiations. Russia's Defense Ministry asserted that its forces successfully hit all designated military-industrial, fuel, transport, and military base targets.