At least 17 people have been killed and dozens more wounded after Russia launched a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine using ballistic missiles and drones, intensifying pressure on the capital, Kyiv, and surrounding areas.
The bombardment, which began shortly after midnight on Wednesday, struck residential neighbourhoods, railway infrastructure and storage facilities, causing widespread destruction.
Authorities reported that 45 people sustained injuries, while rescue teams continued searching through collapsed buildings amid fears that more victims could be trapped beneath the debris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his appeal to international partners for additional air defence systems, insisting that more interceptor missiles could have prevented the heavy loss of life.
He argued that delays in supplying advanced anti-ballistic equipment had contributed to the devastating impact of the attack and later disclosed that deliveries of interceptor missiles had declined considerably this year.
Ukraine’s military said none of the ballistic missiles fired during the assault were intercepted.
According to the country’s air force, Russian forces launched 24 ballistic missiles, four anti-ship missiles and 115 attack drones.
Air defence units succeeded in destroying 98 of the drones before they reached their intended targets.
Emergency officials confirmed one fatality and at least 16 injuries within Kyiv itself, while another 16 deaths and 29 injuries were recorded across the wider Kyiv region.
Firefighters remained deployed to several major sites where blazes continued to burn over an estimated 230,000 square metres.
Moscow maintained that its operation was directed at military-related infrastructure rather than civilian targets.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the strikes were aimed at logistics centres used for storing and transporting weapons, military supplies and unmanned aerial vehicles in and around Kyiv.
The ministry also claimed Russian forces struck three cargo ships near the Black Sea port of Odesa, alleging the vessels were transporting military equipment and weapons.
Elsewhere across Ukraine, regional officials reported additional Russian attacks in the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, reflecting an escalation of hostilities beyond the capital.
Meanwhile, fighting also affected Russian territory.
Authorities in the Tula region said a Ukrainian drone crashed into a warehouse belonging to online retailer Wildberries, sparking a fire that injured one person.
Company officials said the facility had been evacuated before the incident, preventing fatalities.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted warehouse facilities inside Russia in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, strikes on warehouse sites in the Moscow region reportedly killed five people and injured 10 others.
A day earlier, Russian authorities said seven people died and 58 were wounded after a drone struck a crowded beach in the Krasnodar region.
Kyiv also condemned footage circulating online that appeared to show a drone pursuing a civilian in the southern city of Kherson.
Ukrainian officials described the incident as a deliberate attack on non-combatants, while both Russia and Ukraine continue to reject accusations of intentionally targeting civilians.
In a separate development, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union had received €1.4 billion from frozen Russian assets, with the funds earmarked to strengthen Ukraine’s defence efforts during the ongoing conflict.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong