At least 15 killed and dozens injured as explosions tear through capital and surrounding region.
Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region came under a heavy Russian ballistic missile and drone attack in the early hours of Wednesday, with multiple explosions heard across the city and reports of significant destruction, fires and casualties.
Ukrainian officials said the assault, which began shortly after midnight, involved waves of ballistic missiles and strike drones. Air raid alerts sounded across Kyiv and the wider region for more than an hour as residents sought shelter in metro stations and basements. Witnesses and local media reported over 30 explosions reverberating through the capital.
According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service and regional authorities, at least 15 people were killed and more than 40 injured. One woman died in Kyiv itself, while 14 people were killed in the surrounding Kyiv region, including in the Brovary, Bucha and Fastiv districts. Dozens more were wounded, with some in serious condition and taken to hospital.
Damage across districts and emergency response:
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said strikes hit several locations in the capital, including warehouses and non-residential buildings in the Obolonskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Holosiivskyi and Desnianskyi districts. Rescue teams pulled two people from the ruins of a collapsed warehouse near the city centre, and search operations continued amid fears that others remained trapped under rubble.
Fires broke out at multiple sites, including large blazes at warehouse and logistics facilities on the outskirts of the capital. Debris from intercepted or fallen missiles landed near residential buildings. Emergency services also responded to an ammonia leak in one district. An ambulance was damaged in repeated explosions, injuring its driver.
In the wider Kyiv region, large-scale fires were reported at warehouse complexes in Brovary and nearby villages. Ukrainian air force statements indicated that Russia launched dozens of ballistic missiles, including Iskander systems, along with more than 100 attack drones. While many drones were intercepted, Ukrainian officials said air defences struggled against the ballistic missiles.
Kyiv Faces Renewed Russian Missile and Drone Attacks:
The attack comes amid a pattern of intensified Russian long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure more than four years into the full-scale invasion. Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to Western allies for additional supplies of advanced air-defence systems and interceptors, particularly for Patriot batteries, arguing that shortages leave the capital vulnerable to ballistic missiles.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed the strikes targeted logistics hubs, weapons storage sites and facilities linked to the production and distribution of drones. Ukrainian authorities rejected the characterisation, stating that the attacks once again struck civilian areas and infrastructure.
As rescue and recovery efforts continued through the morning, Ukrainian officials stressed that the risk of further strikes remained high. The latest barrage underscores the ongoing human cost of the conflict for civilians in and around the capital, even as both sides continue to exchange long-range attacks.