A Russian missile barrage struck Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, overnight on Thursday, resulting in at least 12 deaths and 33 injuries, according to local authorities and the country's Emergency Service. Explosions were heard across the city throughout the night, and air raid alerts remained active until the early morning hours.
The strikes impacted 12 different locations within Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Solomianskyi districts. The damage was widespread, affecting residential apartment buildings, a medical facility, and an educational institution. In the Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a 9-story residential building were destroyed, and fires broke out on other levels. Emergency crews were deployed to the scene to pull people from the rubble, including those trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter.
Larysa Bondaruk, 60, described the scene after her apartment was severely damaged. She recounted how a rocket hit the roof, causing immediate destruction. "It was incredibly loud, immediately, debris and doors were blown out. There were columns of smoke, columns of fire, screams, crying and despair," she said. Bondaruk, who was found holding her cat, Chanel, after it was rescued by firefighters, noted that her neighbor’s grandson was among those killed when the building was struck. She expressed gratitude for the quick and professional response of the rescuers.
Military analysts indicate that Russia has intensified its use of ballistic missiles in an effort to wear down Kyiv's air defense stocks. Ukraine currently faces limited capacity to intercept such threats, particularly as supplies of missiles for its U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems remain constrained. While U.S. President Donald Trump had previously authorized Ukraine to obtain licenses to produce Patriot air-defense systems, that decision was later reversed. In response to the ongoing bombardment, Ukraine has stepped up its own campaign of long-range strikes targeting weapons depots, military facilities, and other strategic assets deep inside Russian territory to degrade Moscow's ability to sustain its attacks on Ukrainian cities.
