Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine: 20 killed, 100 injured

MOSCOW (Terror Monitor) In one of the largest waves of attacks in the Russia–Ukraine war, Moscow launched ballistic and cruise missiles along with combat drones on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, killing at least 20 people and injuring around 100 others.

Ukrainian officials said on Thursday that the strikes caused extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure across Kyiv. Authorities confirmed that 20 civilians were killed and 100 others injured as a result of the attacks.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that the strikes were among the largest aerial assaults carried out by Russia in terms of intensity and scale on the Ukrainian capital. He said 20 people were killed and 86 injured, including 70 who required hospital treatment.

Ukrainian forces said the overnight assault involved a heavy barrage of drones and missiles targeting Kyiv, resulting in at least 20 deaths and around 90 injuries. An ambulance station was also reportedly hit during the attack.

The city’s mayor described it as the “most intense attack” on Kyiv and announced a day of mourning on Friday.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said a significant number of children were among the dead and injured. He added that the enemy was once again deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians.

According to Kyiv metro authorities, more than 52,000 people, including children, took shelter in underground stations during the night, marking the highest number in recent years.

Klitschko said search and rescue operations were still underway, particularly in the Darnytskyi district, where a residential building collapsed after being hit in the strikes.

Earlier, the mayor also reported that a hotel in central Kyiv’s Shevchenko Boulevard area caught fire after being directly hit by a Russian drone and missile strike.

The multi-storey hotel suffered severe damage to six floors and was partially destroyed.

A Reuters video showed emergency rescue workers continuing operations, pulling injured people from the rubble of the nine-storey building.

Explosions were heard across multiple districts of Kyiv late at night and early Thursday morning as a result of the Russian strikes.

According to Kyiv’s military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko, the Russian forces used armed drones along with ballistic and cruise missiles in the latest attacks, causing fatalities and severe damage at more than 12 locations across the city.