Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight offensive on Kyiv, firing 539 drones and 11 missiles across Ukraine in a coordinated attack that left at least 23 people injured and caused significant damage in the capital, Ukrainian authorities said Friday.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the primary target of the strikes was Kyiv, with air raid sirens blaring for over eight hours amid continuous waves of attacks.
“The main target of the strikes was the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kyiv!” the Air Force stated in a Telegram post.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that 14 of the wounded were hospitalized.
Damage was reported in six of the city’s 10 districts, with one fire breaking out at a medical facility in the Holosiivskyi district after drone debris fell in the area.
The state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said that railway infrastructure was also hit, disrupting passenger train services.
The assault marks an escalation in Russia’s intensifying air campaign on the Ukrainian capital, home to nearly three million people. Reuters journalists on the ground reported persistent explosions throughout the night as Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 478 of the incoming threats. Despite those efforts, 63 drones and nine missiles managed to strike targets across eight regions of the country.
The attack coincided with diplomatic developments, as U.S. President Donald Trump addressed ongoing efforts to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there, and I’m very disappointed,” Trump told reporters. “I didn’t make any progress with him at all.”
While the Kremlin reiterated its focus on what it called the “root causes” of the conflict, Ukraine continues to grapple with a critical shortage of military supplies following recent delays in U.S. aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to raise the issue during a call with Trump scheduled for Friday.
In a separate incident, five civilians were killed on Thursday by Russian shelling near Pokrovsk, a contested city in eastern Ukraine. Although both Moscow and Kyiv deny intentionally targeting civilians, United Nations figures indicate more than 10,000 civilian deaths—primarily Ukrainians—since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.
Videos circulating on social media showed the scale of devastation in Kyiv, with residents fleeing blasts, emergency crews battling fires, and buildings reduced to charred ruins. The attack highlighted a shift in Russia’s strategy, with increased use of large numbers of inexpensive drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
