Russia carried out one of its largest overnight attacks on Ukraine, launching 36 missiles and 242 drones, killing at least four civilians in Kyiv and causing widespread damage across multiple regions, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces hit “strategic targets” using Oreshnik hypersonic missiles and other weapons, but did not disclose locations or the scale of damage. Ukraine said the assault set apartment blocks ablaze, damaged critical infrastructure and struck close to the EU and Nato border, raising alarm in Europe.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said one of the Oreshnik missiles landed near the Nato border and described the strike as a “grave threat” to European security. He called it a “test” for Kyiv’s allies and urged stronger international support.
Civilian toll and widespread damage
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, saying at least four people were killed in Kyiv, including a member of an ambulance crew, and dozens were injured. He said around 20 residential buildings were damaged in the capital alone, with recovery operations also underway in Lviv and other regions.
“There was even a second strike on a residential building while first responders were assisting victims,” Zelenskyy said, calling the attacks deliberate and brutal.
He also revealed that a building housing the Embassy of Qatar in Kyiv was damaged by a Russian drone. Qatar has played a mediating role in securing the release of prisoners of war and civilians.
Kyiv authorities said multiple districts were hit. In Desnyanskyi, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-storey building and damaged the lower floors of another. In Dnipro district, drone debris triggered a fire in a residential building. Five rescue workers were injured while responding to strikes, Ukraine’s security service said.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said parts of Kyiv faced disruptions to water and electricity supply.
Infrastructure hit in western Ukraine
The western city of Lviv was also targeted. Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said critical infrastructure was hit and that the strike involved what appeared to be a ballistic missile.
The assault came hours after Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing to exploit freezing winter conditions, with icy roads complicating evacuation and emergency response efforts.
Russia claims retaliation, Ukraine rejects justification
Russia said the strikes were in retaliation for a drone attack it claims targeted a residence of President Vladimir Putin in December. Ukraine has denied any involvement.
Calling Moscow’s explanation “absurd”, Foreign Minister Sybiga said the alleged attack on Putin’s residence “never happened” and dismissed Russia’s claims as “hallucinations”.
The latest strikes also followed Russia’s rejection of a new post-war peacekeeping proposal.
Ukrainian strike hits Russia’s Belgorod region
Meanwhile, Russia said a Ukrainian overnight attack disrupted power and heating in the border region of Belgorod. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said more than 556,000 people across six municipalities were left without electricity, and a similar number without heating, as temperatures hovered near freezing.
