The Russia strikes Ukraine attack killed at least 32 people, including children, and injured about 100 others, as waves of missiles and drones hit residential areas, energy infrastructure and industrial facilities across the country.
The heaviest casualties were recorded in Pryluky, in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile destroyed a five-storey residential building. Ukraine’s emergency services later said the death toll there had risen to 22.
Two additional bodies were discovered after a Russian air strike on an apartment building in Kyiv, bringing the reported death toll in the capital to four. Earlier, Ukrainian officials had reported a nationwide toll of 28 before the figures increased.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault, describing it as one of the most “vile strikes” carried out by Russia and accusing Moscow of deliberately inflicting pain on Ukrainian civilians.
Zelenskiy condemns deadly Russian attack
Zelenskyy said the assault coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday and sharply criticised the destruction and loss of life.
“This is the kind of birthday present that Putin gave himself: the killing of children, the killing of people,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
The Ukrainian president said Russia had fired about 70 missiles overnight, many of them high-velocity ballistic weapons, while also launching dozens of Shahed attack drones against targets across Ukraine.
“The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively. This was one of the most vile strikes,” Zelenskyy said.
The attack affected Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, including Oleksandria and Kremenchuk, while emergency crews worked through damaged buildings to rescue survivors and recover victims.
Pryluky suffers the heaviest losses
In Pryluky, rescuers used an excavator, ladders and hand tools while searching through the remains of the apartment building struck by the missile.
Emergency workers rescued 15 survivors as they moved through the damaged structure. Regional officials said around 55 people were wounded in the town.
Danylo Savenko, deputy mayor of Pryluky, described extensive destruction in the town centre after the attack.
“There’s a lot of destruction, especially in the town centre,” Savenko said, recalling how he and his wife rushed to an air-raid shelter after hearing the missiles.
The destruction in Pryluky underscored the vulnerability of residential areas during Russia’s intensified missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine reports higher drone interception rate
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted just over 80% of 46 jet-powered drones launched by Russia during the latest assault.
That represented an increase from recent weeks, when Ukrainian air defences had reportedly intercepted between 50% and 60% of the drones used in Russian attacks.
Since the summer, Russia has increased its use of high-velocity drones in attacks conducted around the clock against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
The Ukrainian air force did not immediately explain the improvement in interception rates, while Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out what it described as a “massive strike” against military-industrial facilities.
Ballistic missiles remain major challenge
Zelenskyy said ballistic missiles remained Ukraine’s greatest air-defence challenge, increasing pressure on Kyiv to obtain additional Patriot missile systems.
“We are every day looking for Patriot (missile interception) systems that can and must protect people’s lives,” Zelenskyy said.
The US-made Patriot system is particularly important to Ukraine because it is capable of intercepting high-velocity ballistic missiles. However, supplies of Patriot interceptors have been constrained by competing global demands, including the Iran war and the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine also received a new €1.2 billion tranche from the European Union, which Kyiv said would be directed toward defence requirements.
Russia says it targeted military facilities
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces targeted military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and several Ukrainian regions using high-precision weapons launched from land, sea and air, alongside drones.
Russian officials said targets included facilities associated with Ukrainian defence company Fire Point, which Moscow said manufactures and stores Flamingo cruise missiles and medium- and long-range drones.
The alleged targets were located in Kyiv and regions including Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kharkiv.
Ukraine has increasingly developed its own missile capabilities during the prolonged war. Zelenskyy previously said Ukrainian forces had used a domestically produced ballistic missile in combat, while Fire Point has been developing longer-range weapons.
Kyiv residents shelter in underground metro
The latest attacks prompted many Kyiv residents to spend the night in underground metro stations after Ukrainian officials and military intelligence warned of an impending assault.
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Several explosions were heard across the capital as the missile and drone attacks continued.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had also struck four targets inside Russia during the preceding 24 hours, including two Russian oil facilities and a training ground.
The Ukrainian president has previously said Kyiv would target Russian energy infrastructure in response to Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy facilities.
War continues to escalate
The latest assault comes amid increasing Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and continued Ukrainian strikes against targets inside Russia.
The fighting has also placed growing pressure on Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities, particularly as Russian forces increase their use of ballistic missiles and advanced drones.
While Ukraine reported successfully intercepting a larger share of the latest drone attack, Zelenskyy’s comments highlighted the continuing difficulty of defending the country against ballistic weapons.
The deadly strike also demonstrated the continuing risks faced by civilians as the Russia-Ukraine war enters another period of intensified attacks.
