Russia Launches 675 Drones and 56 Missiles at Ukraine, Killing One in Kyiv

Russia launched at least 675 drones and 56 missiles at Ukraine in a massive overnight attack, and Ukraine said its air defences had downed or jammed 693 targets, including 41 missiles.

“Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, killing at least three people and wounding 40 others, Ukrainian authorities have said”

Al Jazeera

Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian attacks overnight hit “school, a veterinary clinic, and other purely civilian infrastructure,” and he added that “In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities.”

Al Jazeera

In Kyiv, a rescue operation was underway after a nine-storey residential building was hit, with Zelensky saying “one person has been killed” and that “Dozens of people have been rescued.”

The BBC reported that three of the dead were pulled from the rubble of a partially destroyed apartment building in Kyiv, where a rescue operation was under way for at least 10 people feared missing, and it said at least five people were killed overall.

The BBC also said the overnight barrage saw more than 670 drones and 56 missiles targeting the country, with Zelensky adding that the strikes hit more than 180 sites across Ukraine and caused damage to more than 50 residential buildings.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha tied the overnight attack to Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, saying “At the very time when leaders of the most powerful countries are meeting in Beijing, and the world hopes for peace, predictability and cooperation, [Vladimir] Putin launched hundreds of drones, ballistic and cruise missiles at the capital of Ukraine.”

Sybiha said there should be “no illusions” about ending the war and that “Only pressure on Moscow can make him stop,” while the BBC reported Zelensky calling for “a just response to all these strikes” and urging allies to hold Moscow accountable and keep global sanctions in place.

Atlantic Council

In Kyiv, the BBC said Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko recovered the body of a 12-year-old girl from rubble of a house nearby and said 18 apartments had been damaged, while it reported that 21 people were being treated in hospital.

France 24 quoted a Kyiv resident, Andriy, saying “Everything was burning. People were screaming ... people were shouting. It was on fire,” as AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and watched rescue workers dig through debris.

France 24 also reported that the Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 675 attack drones and 56 missiles mainly at Kyiv, and that air defence units had downed 652 of the drones and 41 missiles.

The BBC said the attacks came as the third day in a row Ukraine reported deaths, with Moscow resuming its assault after a three-day ceasefire expired late on Monday, and it described the strikes as among the largest Russia has mounted since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022.

“Rescuers pull dead from rubble of Kyiv flats after massive Russian strikes At least five people have been killed, including a 12-year-old girl, after Russia launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine overnight, officials have said”

BBC

In a separate diplomatic development, Reuters reported that Hungary summoned Russia’s ambassador over a drone attack on western Ukraine, with Prime Minister Peter Magyar saying the Russian ambassador would meet foreign minister Anita Orban on Thursday.

Magyar said Orban would condemn the attack at the meeting and ask the ambassador “when Russia and Vladimir Putin plan to finally end this bloody war,” while Reuters reported Zelenskiy praised the summoning of the Russian ambassador as “an important message.”

Reuters said the daytime drone attack earlier on Wednesday targeted critical infrastructure and killed at least three people in the west, prompting NATO-member Poland to scramble fighter jets.

The Guardian also reported that Péter Magyar said his new government had summoned the Russian ambassador over a massive drone attack near Hungary’s border, and it quoted him saying, “The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on Transcarpathia.”