At least eleven people, including a child, have been injured after a severe Russian missile and drone barrage struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The early morning bombardment caused widespread alarm as multiple ultra-fast ballistic missiles hit civilian targets before city air raid sirens could even sound.
Journalists in the capital reported hearing two distinct series of heavy explosions in the early hours of Saturday. The official emergency sirens only began to wail several minutes after the first impacts were felt.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the details of the assault on social media. The Ukrainian leader stated that over 120 drones and twelve missiles were launched by Russian forces overnight, with at least half of the missiles being high-speed ballistic variants.
The sudden strikes caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure across the city. Affected properties included residential apartment blocks, commercial offices, and a local theological seminary.
Emergency services were quickly deployed to the scene to extinguish fires and clear debris. Rescue and recovery efforts are also taking place in the broader Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions following related overnight attacks.
The head of Kyiv’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, urged residents to take immediate cover during the raid. The official confirmed that three individuals required hospital treatment while others were treated by paramedics at the scene.
Ukrainian air defences managed to successfully intercept and down the majority of the incoming targets. However, military officials admitted they were unable to stop the ballistic missiles.
Military experts suggest that the lack of an early warning was likely due to Russia using S-400 anti-aircraft missiles configured for ground attacks. These particular weapons travel at extreme speeds and are notoriously difficult for standard radar networks to detect in time.
The latest escalation has prompted fresh calls from Kyiv for increased Western military assistance. The conflict has now entered its fifth year of intense fighting.
President Zelensky used the incident to urge the United States to accelerate its plans to help protect Ukrainian airspace. The leader pressed for the quick completion of a deal allowing Ukraine to manufacture American Patriot air defence systems locally.
The political breakthrough occurred earlier in the week at a diplomatic summit, where US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would grant Ukraine a licence to build the complex interceptor systems.
While the announcement was welcomed by Ukrainian officials, the leader noted that complex technical details and production logistics still need to be finalised before manufacturing can begin.
The deadly strikes on the capital followed a series of Ukrainian drone operations on Friday. Those long-range strikes successfully targeted oil refineries in southern Russia as Kyiv continues to disrupt the energy infrastructure of its adversary.
