KYIV: Russia launched one of its largest overnight attacks on Ukraine, sending dozens of missiles and more than 100 drones toward several regions, killing at least 15 people and damaging energy and civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.
The assault targeted Kyiv, Poltava, Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk region, with Ukraine’s air force reporting 130 drones, 48 cruise missiles and additional ballistic missiles used in the barrage.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 161 incoming targets, according to the air force. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia appeared determined to strike Ukraine’s energy system and inflict maximum damage.
“Russian ballistic missiles remain the greatest challenge,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram, calling additional air defense systems an urgent need for Ukraine.
The overnight assault left residents across the country facing another night of explosions, fires and emergency rescues.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, described it as another night when civilians were forced to seek shelter while preparing to continue their daily lives.
One of the deadliest incidents occurred in Pryluky because Ukraine's president said a residential building in the Chernihiv region was destroyed as a "birthday 'gift' to Putin", who turns 74 on Wednesday, where a Russian missile struck a five-story residential building.
Regional authorities said at least four people were killed at the scene and about 20 others were injured. Emergency crews searched through the wreckage for survivors, with officials warning that additional people could still be trapped beneath the debris.
In Kyiv, residents rushed into underground metro stations as air raid warnings spread across the capital. Several explosions were heard during the night, according to Reuters reports.
Lesia, a 49-year-old Kyiv resident, said she went to the metro for safety because her family lives on the ninth floor of a high-rise building.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces conducted a “massive strike” against military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine.
The ministry said the operation involved high-precision weapons launched from land, sea and air, along with drones. It claimed the targets included facilities linked to Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, which Russia said produces and stores Flamingo cruise missiles and medium- and long-range drones.
Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine had used a domestically produced ballistic missile in combat for the first time. Fire Point is also developing the FP-9 missile, which Zelenskyy previously said could eventually have enough range to reach Moscow.
The latest strikes again pushed residents into shelters and underground stations, underscoring the continuing threat posed by Russia’s long-range missile and drone campaign.
