The assault shook Kyiv for hours with loud explosions, prompting many residents to shelter in metro stations after warnings from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other authorities. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko placed the death toll at 13 with 86 people wounded in the capital. A paramedic was among those injured in extremely critical condition in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where a hotel and two five-story residential buildings sustained damage.
Damage from the overnight strike was recorded at 30 locations, mainly residential structures and civilian infrastructure, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that 20 residential buildings were hit across the city. Ukraine’s Emergency Service deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to address the aftermath.
In the Desnianskyi district, rescuers responded to a damaged nine-story residential building where people remained trapped, Klitschko stated. The mayor urged residents to remain in shelters because of the continuing threat from the furious enemy attack. Klitschko added that assessment of the full impact was still under way on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the events as a night of horror in a post on X and called on Ukraine’s allies to strengthen the country’s air defenses without further delay. He rejected any attempts to justify the Russian strikes as retaliation for Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities, which has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines inside Russia. Sybiha stated that Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter while Russia remained the aggressor, and he noted the death toll could still rise as rescue teams continued their work.
The strike forms part of a recent intensification of Russian attacks on Kyiv throughout 2026. A UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine assessment found that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured across the country in May 2026, the highest monthly total since April 2022. The mission’s data placed the verified cumulative civilian casualty toll at more than 62,000 as of the end of May.
Ukrainian authorities have reported similar large-scale aerial assaults in preceding weeks, including one in early June 2026 that killed at least 22 people across multiple cities according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The latest Kyiv attack occurred hours after Zelenskyy had warned of an impending massive strike. Rescue operations were continuing Thursday with the emergency service maintaining its focus on affected residential areas.
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