Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight, killing at least two people in the capital’s Darnytskyi district, authorities said on Wednesday.
Multiple explosions were reported across Kyiv starting around 3:15 a.m. local time, with a second wave of strikes heard two hours later. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said non-residential areas in the Obolon and Podil districts were hit, while missile debris ignited fires in Shevchenkivskyi and Darnytskyi. Ukraine’s Air Force had earlier warned of Russian Tu-95 bombers approaching the border, and drones were detected heading toward the capital at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, triggering an air raid alert.
The attack coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday. President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned on Tuesday of intelligence indicating Russia was preparing a “massive strike,” urging citizens to heed missile threat alerts. “Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond – as much as our defenses allow,” he said, adding that support from partners, particularly the United States and Europe, was critical .
Kyiv has faced near-daily Russian strikes in recent weeks, with Moscow increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure. The latest assault follows Zelensky’s warning and a pattern of escalating aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities .
