Russia pummeled Kyiv with drones in an all-night attack, injuring at least 23 people, damaging railway infrastructure, and setting buildings and cars on fire throughout the Ukrainian capital, authorities said on Friday.
Air raid alerts lasted more than eight hours overnight with several waves of attacks, as Russia launched a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles targeting Ukrainian territory, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. “The main target of the strikes was the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kyiv!” the Air Force said on Telegram.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that fourteen of the injured were hospitalized. Damage was recorded in six of Kyiv’s ten districts on both sides of the Dnipro River. Falling drone debris set a medical facility on fire in the Holosiivskyi district, Klitschko added.
The attacks are the latest in a series of Russian air strikes on Kyiv that have intensified in recent weeks, causing some of the deadliest assaults on the city of three million people since the conflict began.
Ukraine’s state-owned railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, said that the attack damaged railway infrastructure in Kyiv, diverting several passenger trains and causing delays.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that it had destroyed 478 of the air weapons Russia launched overnight. Enemy air strikes were recorded in eight locations across the country, with nine missiles and 63 drones, they added.
Late on Thursday, Russian shelling killed five people in and near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key target under Russian attack for months, Ukrainian officials said.
As tensions escalate, the international community continues to call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing to address the root causes of the crisis and alleviate the suffering of civilians.
