Akshay DidwaniyaAt least eight people were killed and dozens more injured after Russia fired a massive wave of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Thursday, with loud blasts reverberating across the city for hours as panicked residents fled to metro stations for safety.
Russia struck Ukraine’s capital with a relentless barrage of ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Thursday. At least eight people died and over 34 others sustained injuries. Loud explosions shook Kyiv for hours as the attacks tore through residential buildings and key civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already sounded the alarm just hours before the first strikes hit. He warned citizens of an incoming “massive Russian strike” while speaking at a joint press conference in Dublin with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Wednesday.
“Today, we have information about another massive Russian strike; we have relevant intelligence data,” Zelenskyy said.
Right after his Dublin remarks, Zelenskyy flew back to Kyiv. He urged Ukrainians to take air raid alerts seriously and protect their families.
“We know that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been preparing a massive strike against Ukraine for some time. That is exactly the threat we are facing tonight,” he added.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed 34 people were injured. Damage was recorded in 28 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
Mayor Klitschko said a nine-story residential building had collapsed in the Desnyanskyi district, leaving people trapped inside. In Holosiivskyi district, the roof of a multi-story residential building was on fire. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, in the center of the capital, there was a fire on the roof of a hotel.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, confirmed eight people died in the overnight and early morning attacks that targeted about three dozen locations across the city.
AFP journalists in the central and eastern districts of Kyiv reported hearing more than a dozen explosions. In the streets, residents were seen making their way to shelters, carrying sleeping mats under their arms.
Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine’s own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines inside Russia.
The strikes on Kyiv came just hours after Ukraine struck a large Russian oil refinery in Ufa and a military complex in the Penza region. The night before, Ukraine also struck a satellite communications center in the Moscow region.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of “completely refusing to end the war” despite Kyiv’s efforts through all available channels to pursue dialogue. Putin “sees only further aggression against Ukraine and against other neighbours and Europe as a whole,” Zelenskyy said.
A new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said war casualties on both sides had surpassed 2 million. The data heavily skews toward Russia, with roughly three Russians killed or wounded for every one Ukrainian.
Aditya Didwaniya
Mayur Mohta