Russia launched a wave of overnight missile strikes on the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least eight people, Ukrainian authorities reported on Thursday. The "massive attack" hit apartment blocks and warehouses, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS), while a children's hospital and school sustained damage. At least 33 people were injured.
Rescue efforts are underway to free people trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, with two survivors already pulled from the debris. Meanwhile, Romania reported that a drone had crossed into its territory near the northern border with Ukraine, triggering an air alert siren. The Romanian Ministry of Defence stated that a drone entered Romanian airspace approximately 13 kilometres east of the city of Galați in the early hours of Thursday, crashing into an uninhabited area and causing a small, extinguished fire. No casualties or damage were reported, and the alert has since been lifted.
The Polish military also announced defensive air operations to protect its airspace, as Poland shares part of its south-eastern border with Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko confirmed that a children's hospital was damaged, with windows broken and nearby cars set ablaze. An educational institution also suffered damage. In the Brovary district of the wider Kyiv region, one man was killed and another injured by an attack, according to Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko. The regional administration had issued an alert earlier in the night, warning residents to seek shelter and noting that air defence operations were possible.
Throughout the night, regional authorities issued further missile alerts, based on warnings from the Ukrainian air force about incoming missiles towards the capital. The Russian airstrikes caused power outages for thousands of properties in the Kyiv region.
The Russian defence ministry claimed to have targeted a drone component production facility and a munition depot in Kyiv, according to state-run media. These claims have not been independently verified by the BBC.
Kyiv has experienced near-nightly attacks in recent weeks, with some resulting in numerous casualties. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that over a dozen regions across Ukraine have been targeted in the past week, with Russia deploying more than 1,550 attack drones, 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 62 missiles. Ukraine has intensified its attacks deep inside Russia in recent weeks, including a recent barrage of 600 drones targeting Moscow. Two separate attacks in Russia this week resulted in at least 16 deaths, including one child.
Since July, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted a warehouse belonging to the online retailer Wildberries, described as Russia's version of Amazon. Ukraine's defence ministry indicated that the latest attack disabled seven out of the ten largest Wildberries logistics centres. While these attacks on Russia are partly aimed at pressuring Moscow to engage in peace talks, diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire have seen little progress. Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, primarily in the eastern border regions.
