Russia Kills At Least 21 Civilians in Kyiv Heavy Strikes, Ukraine Emergency Service Says

Russia launched heavy strikes on Kyiv overnight into Thursday morning, killing at least 21 civilians and injuring scores more, according to AP and Ukraine’s Emergency Service.

AP reported that more than 50,000 people sheltered in subway stations after authorities issued air raid warnings, and emergency crews dug through the rubble of collapsed and charred apartment buildings all day.

20 Minutes

CBS News said the attack was the biggest since Moscow’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago, with the state emergency services reporting at least 21 people killed and 85 wounded, including two children.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia used 74 missiles and 496 drones in the attack, and CBS News reported that damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, "The enemy's most massive attack," and described the most significant destruction in the Darnytskyi district, where part of a residential building was "literally blown away."

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike a "night of horror" in the capital, while Zelenskyy told CBS News that the attack showed how "it's too slow" for air defense shipments.

CBS News reported that Zelenskyy asked Washington for a license to make Patriot missiles, calling air defense supplies for Ukraine "an absolute necessity."

Actualités chrétiennes

Russia’s Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that there would be more to come, saying, "Russia will continue to increase pressure on the Kyiv regime in order to achieve our set goals," when asked about European Union sanctions.

In a separate account, AP said Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the bombardment was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities, and that Moscow said the long-range attacks had caused severe fuel shortages.

AP also quoted Kyiv resident Serhii Budko describing the moment of impact, saying, "We were inside the shelter and felt the shelter shaking — the ceiling and floor, everything."

Ukraine’s leaders tied the immediate stakes to air defense shortages, with CBS News reporting that Zelenskyy renewed his plea for Patriot missiles to shoot down Russian weapons.

AP said Ukraine’s foreign minister Sybiha urged partner countries to provide more Patriot systems, and that Sybiha said in April that Ukraine’s weapons factories meet up to 75% of its military’s needs.

DW reported that the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia deployed 570 aerial objects during the attack, nearly 500 of which were drones, while Russia launched 24 Iskander ballistic missiles and about 50 cruise missiles.

DW also said the Kyiv Metro reported over 50,000 people sought shelter in subway stations after air raid warnings, and that the attack lasted for some 11 hours.

In the aftermath, the New Voice of Ukraine said the State Emergency Service reported the death toll had reached 30 with 99 injured, and it reported that air defenses downed 476 drones and 48 missiles during the overnight assault.