Kyiv declares a day of mourning after massive bombardment, which Moscow says is retaliation for strikes on civil infrastructure
Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the early hours on Thursday, blasting apart residential buildings, killing at least 18 people and wounding scores.
Multiple explosions shook buildings and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations.
It was the second-deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv so far this year. “This night, Russia once again carried out a cynical, large-scale attack on Ukraine,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on the Telegram app. “The enemy launched dozens of ballistic missiles. Kyiv was hit the hardest.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky had cut short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday night and warned Ukrainians about the coming strike.
Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones during the attack, the Ukrainian air force said. Air defence units shot down most of those but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations.
The Russian defence ministry, in a Telegram post, said its “massive attack” using long-range, high-precision air-, land-, sea-launched weapons and drones hit military and energy facilities, as well as airports in Kyiv and other locations.