Russian Missile and Drone Attack on Kyiv Leaves One Dead, 21 Injured

One person has been killed and 21 others injured after Russia launched a massive wave of missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Explosions echoed across the city as authorities reported damage in every district, including residential buildings and a school.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a 15-year-old boy was among those injured, while 13 people were admitted to hospital, with three reported to be in serious condition.

The attack came after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation over what Moscow described as a deadly Ukrainian strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk on Friday that reportedly killed 18 people.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed carrying out an overnight operation near Starobilsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine but insisted the target was a Russian military unit.

According to Klitschko, Russia’s overnight assault struck more than 40 locations across Kyiv, with falling debris sparking fires in residential buildings, warehouses, a supermarket, and a shopping centre.

“The capital has been subjected to a massive ballistic attack. Further launches are possible,” Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, posted on Telegram shortly after midnight.

In the central Shevchenko district, one person died after a nine-storey residential building was hit, causing a fire on the upper floors. In the same district, debris from a strike near a school blocked the entrance to an air raid shelter, trapping several people inside.

Emergency crews were deployed across the city to extinguish fires, clear debris, and assist the injured. Tkachenko said cleanup efforts were still ongoing and that aid centres would soon be announced.On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that intelligence from Ukraine, Europe, and the United States indicated Russia could be preparing a major combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv.

Zelensky also claimed Russia could deploy the Oreshnik missile, which is reportedly capable of travelling at hypersonic speeds and is currently difficult to intercept.