Russia’s overnight missile and drone assault kills at least 21 in Kyiv

Russia launched an 11-hour overnight drone-and-missile assault on Kyiv that killed at least 21 people and injured more than 90, according to AP and Ukrainian officials.

Rescue crews were still working through damaged apartment blocks and other sites across the capital on Thursday, and officials warned the toll could rise as searches continued.

Overnight assault

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 74 missiles and 496 drones in the attack. Air raid warnings sent thousands of residents into shelters, and more than 50,000 people took refuge in Kyiv’s metro stations during the barrage.

The strike ran through the night and into dawn, leaving parts of the capital badly damaged after hours of sustained explosions and air-defense fire.

By morning, officials said more than 30 locations across Kyiv had been hit or damaged, including around 20 residential buildings. One nine-story apartment building was heavily damaged and partially collapsed.

A hotel and other civilian sites were also damaged, underscoring how widely the attack spread across neighborhoods in the city.

Death toll and damage

AP reported that at least 21 civilians were killed and more than 90 people were injured. The Guardian’s live coverage earlier in the day put the injury count above 80 before it rose further.

Kyiv authorities declared a day of mourning after the attack. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said it was the worst attack on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

Official responses

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited one of the attack sites and said Ukraine needs more air-defense systems. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the night as a “night of horror” in Kyiv.

Russia’s defense ministry said the strikes targeted military facilities and energy infrastructure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the missiles and drones were aimed only at military or military-linked targets.

Retaliation claim

Moscow framed the barrage as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. AP reported that those attacks have caused severe fuel shortages in Russia.

The attack adds to a pattern of escalating long-range strikes between the two countries, with Russia continuing to hit Ukrainian cities and Ukraine increasingly targeting Russian energy assets.

What happens next

Officials in Kyiv said rescue work and damage assessments were continuing, leaving open the possibility that the death toll could rise.

More casualty and infrastructure updates may follow as crews finish searching the hardest-hit buildings. The attack is also likely to intensify pressure on Ukraine and its partners to provide more air-defense systems.

For now, the capital is left counting the dead, assessing the damage and bracing for the possibility of further strikes in the retaliation cycle.