Kyiv, Ukraine– Ukraine’s capital came under intense Russian drone bombardment overnight, leaving at least two people dead and 13 others injured, local authorities confirmed. Fires broke out across multiple districts as air defence units scrambled to repel the onslaught.
The attack struck six areas of Kyiv, including the central Shevchenkivskyi district, where drone debris ignited the roof of a residential building. In the Podilsky district, a primary healthcare center was reported “almost completely destroyed,” according to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
“Unfortunately, we have two dead. These people were killed by the Russians. This is a terrible loss,” said Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko in a Telegram statement.
Residents were urged to remain in shelters during the air raid and to keep their windows shut due to heavy smoke blanketing parts of the city.
Unverified videos on social media captured flashes in the night sky as Ukrainian air defence systems engaged the drones. The Ukrainian military also issued warnings of potential ballistic missile threats.
The strike follows what Kyiv described on Tuesday night as the largest aerial assault since the start of the full-scale invasion, with **728 drones and 13 missiles launched at cities across the country in successive waves.
Smoke from explosions could be seen rising above the city during the early hours of Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, outside Kyiv, Ukraine’s emergency service reported three deaths from a separate Russian airstrike in Kostiantynivka, near the eastern front line.
In international developments:
The United States has resumed arms shipments** to Ukraine, days after pausing deliveries of some critical air defence systems, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press event on Tuesday, saying, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin… he’s nice to us, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
The Kremlin responded dismissively, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying, “Trump’s way of talking is generally quite harsh.”
Despite regular communications between the two leaders, no concrete progress has been made toward a ceasefire—something Trump once claimed he could secure “in a day.”
Later Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov** during a summit in Malaysia.
Russia has not publicly commented on the latest drone assault. The war, now in its fourth year, began with President Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
