Russia’s Deadly Kyiv Missile and Drone Attack Kills 27 as Zelensky Urges Faster Air Defense Support

Russia launched one of its largest air assaults on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, overnight, killing at least 27 people, injuring 91 others, and damaging around 130 buildings in the deadliest attack on the city this year. Hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles struck multiple districts, triggering explosions across the capital as residents sought shelter in underground metro stations and bomb shelters.

Kyiv military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said the death toll rose after one of the injured died in hospital, adding that rescue crews continued searching through collapsed buildings for missing residents. Officials warned the number of casualties could increase as emergency teams cleared debris. In one eastern district alone, five bodies were recovered while several residents remained unaccounted for.

President Volodymyr Zelensky cut short his visit to Ireland and returned to Kyiv, where he visited a heavily damaged nine-story residential building. He said the destruction highlighted delays in the delivery of promised Western air defense systems, arguing that faster support could have saved more lives and homes. Zelensky also called for stronger European air defenses ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Turkey, saying the issue would be a top priority.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 drones during the attack. Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat said the number of ballistic missiles was unusually high, while Ukraine’s interception rate was lower than normal due to ongoing shortages of Patriot missile systems.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted military facilities, airports, and energy infrastructure using long-range precision weapons and drones. Moscow described the operation as retaliation for recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory. Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, where local officials reported one fatality following a strike on an industrial site.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed by military commanders and vowed to intensify efforts to achieve Russia’s military objectives.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning as emergency workers assessed widespread destruction across the city of roughly three million residents. The Ukrainian Red Cross also reported that its humanitarian warehouse in Kyiv was destroyed, resulting in the loss of approximately 320,000 emergency relief items and disrupting humanitarian operations across the country.

International leaders strongly condemned the attack. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced plans to propose additional sanctions targeting entities supporting Russia’s military-industrial sector. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the strikes, describing them as part of an ongoing pattern of deadly attacks against civilian areas.

The assault caused damage beyond residential neighborhoods. Diplomatic accommodation used by foreign personnel was hit, although no diplomats were injured, according to the EU ambassador to Ukraine. Several children, paramedics, and ambulance drivers were among those wounded. Scientific institutions, including the National Institute of Biochemistry, also suffered severe damage, with researchers describing the destruction as a major setback for Ukraine’s medical and biological research.

The escalating attacks prompted neighboring Poland, a NATO member, to scramble fighter jets as a precaution, while Finland temporarily established an aviation restriction zone over the eastern Gulf of Finland.

Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months, contributing to fuel supply disruptions inside Russia. Moscow has responded with increasingly frequent and large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities. Despite ongoing hostilities, Zelensky said Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators recently held discussions and expressed hope of meeting U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit to discuss additional support and efforts toward ending the war.