At least 18 people were killed and more than 150 injured after Russia launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks of the year on Ukraine, striking dozens of locations across Kyiv and Odesa.
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired 440 drones and 32 missiles overnight, with approximately 27 sites hit across Kyiv during several waves of attacks. Residential buildings, schools and critical infrastructure were among the targets.
The deadliest strike hit a nine-storey apartment building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, where an entire section of the building collapsed. Emergency crews worked through the rubble searching for survivors while firefighters battled multiple blazes. Among those killed was a 62-year-old U.S. citizen.
Authorities reported 16 deaths and 134 injuries in Kyiv, while two more people were killed and 17 injured in the Black Sea port city of Odesa. Ukraine declared a national day of mourning following what officials described as one of the most devastating attacks on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault as “pure terrorism,” urging the international community to increase pressure on Russia.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine described the attack as the deadliest on Kyiv this year, warning that the simultaneous use of large numbers of drones and missiles against populated areas poses an extreme threat to civilians.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities in the Kyiv region and Zaporizhzhia, maintaining that the strikes were aimed at military objectives.
The attacks came as President Zelenskyy attended the G7 Summit in Alberta, where Canada announced $2 billion in new military assistance for Ukraine, including funding for drones, ammunition and armoured vehicles. Ottawa also pledged a $2.3-billion loan to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.
The United Kingdom unveiled additional sanctions targeting Russia’s financial, energy and military sectors, while U.S. President Donald Trump resisted calls for tougher sanctions on Moscow and renewed his call for Russia to be readmitted to the G7.
Military analysts say Russia has increasingly concentrated massive drone and missile strikes on individual cities to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defence systems. The latest barrage underscores the escalating intensity of the conflict, even as peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow have failed to produce a ceasefire.
