Kyiv: At least 20 people were killed and around 90 others injured after Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight drone and missile attack on Kyiv, in what city officials described as the most extensive assault on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war.
Vitali Klitschko said the attack involved the largest number of drones and missiles used against Kyiv in a single assault, with strikes reported across multiple districts of the city. An ambulance station was among the facilities hit, and authorities declared Friday a day of mourning.
The barrage caused widespread destruction, forcing evacuations in several neighbourhoods as explosions damaged residential and other buildings across the capital.
The attack came just hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a major offensive against Kyiv.
Russia said its military had targeted what it described as military-industrial facilities in response to recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would continue increasing pressure on Ukraine to achieve its military objectives.
Ukraine rejected Russia’s claims, accusing Moscow of deliberately striking civilian areas and stressing that the actions of the invading country should not be equated with those of a nation defending itself.
The latest escalation marks another significant increase in hostilities as the conflict continues with repeated long-range attacks by both sides.
