Russia Shells Kyiv and Several Ukrainian Cities in Massive Overnight Attack

Residential Skyscrapers Damaged

In the Solomjanskyi district, a twenty-story building and another twenty-four-story building were hit, according to news agencies citing Ukrainian authorities. Eyewitnesses reported that a missile struck a twenty-four-story residential building, which partially collapsed under the impact.

Another strike damaged the upper floors of a fifteen-story residential building. These destructions add to an already heavy toll for the capital's residents, forced to seek shelter urgently.

Following the bombings, many Kyiv residents took refuge in metro stations and air-raid shelters. The city also experienced temporary power outages and disruptions to its water supply, further complicating the situation for civilians.

Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia Also Targeted

The Russian offensive did not spare other major Ukrainian cities. In Dnipro, in the east-central part of the country, authorities reported at least four deaths and sixteen injuries during the overnight attack, according to an initial assessment. Other sources reported a heavier toll, mentioning six killed and thirty-six injured in the same city.

In Kharkiv, in the northeast, the city's mayor indicated that at least ten people had been injured by Russian bombings. The city of Zaporizhzhia was also targeted by the strikes, although the human toll there remained more limited in the immediate aftermath.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Moscow used ballistic missiles and cruise missiles during this large-scale attack. Ukrainian air defenses were forced to contend with a considerable volume of projectiles.

In total, Russia attacked Ukraine with 656 drones and 73 missiles during this offensive, according to information released by Ukrainian military authorities. Ukrainian defenses managed to intercept 602 drones and 40 missiles, the same source indicated.

President Zelensky's Warnings

These strikes come after repeated warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a video address broadcast on Saturday, the head of state cautioned against the risk of a large-scale Russian offensive. "Die Information des Geheimdienstes über einen möglichen massiven Angriff bleibt aktuell," he stated.

The Ukrainian president added: "Geheimdienstwarnungen bezüglich russischer Angriffe bleiben in Kraft. Ein massiver Schlag ist möglich, sie haben dies vorbereitet," he said. These warnings appear to have been confirmed by the violence of the attack carried out during the night.

Russia had announced the previous week its intention to carry out "systematic strikes" against military targets and decision-making centers in Kyiv. This new wave of attacks aligns with this logic of escalation claimed by Moscow.

Russian Justification and Ukrainian Denials

According to Russian authorities, these strikes are a response to a drone attack carried out last month against a residential building in the Ukrainian region of Luhansk, occupied by Russian forces, which resulted in 21 deaths. Ukraine has categorically denied targeting a civilian object in the Luhansk region.

This escalation occurs in a context of growing international tensions. Before an emergency session of the United Nations, 56 states condemned the fall of a drone on the territory of Romania, a NATO member, which was attributed to Russian attacks against Ukraine.

International Reactions and Economic Sanctions

Furthermore, in retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks against refineries and other energy facilities, Russia announced an export ban on jet fuel until June 30, 2026, further increasing economic pressure in the conflict.

The scale of the destruction in Kyiv, with high-rise residential buildings partially collapsing, once again illustrates the impact of Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, more than four years after the start of the full-scale invasion.