Russia Launches Massive Aerial Attack on Kyiv
Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war early Sunday, firing more than 600 drones and missiles across Ukraine.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration said at least four people were killed in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, and dozens more were injured. Tkachenko added that the death toll could rise as recovery efforts continue.
In addition to Kyiv, strikes also hit Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa, injuring more than 70 people nationwide.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes damaged the Cardiology Institute building in Kyiv. Across the country, the strikes also hit a bread-production facility, a tire factory, residential buildings, and other civilian infrastructure.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 595 drones and 48 missiles, including cruise and ballistic types, in the attack. Of these, air defenses intercepted or jammed 566 drones and 45 missiles.
Russia’s latest strikes came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Trump said he believed Ukraine, with European Union support and NATO funding, could fight and win back all its territory. He added that the U.S., as part of its backing for Kyiv, would maintain arms deliveries to NATO for use in Ukraine.
The statement marked a shift from Trump’s earlier stance that Kyiv might have to surrender territory to end the war with Russia.
Sunday’s attack marks the third-largest air assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
