‘Heinous’ Overnight Strike on Kyiv Kills at Least Four — Zelensky Says Civilians Targeted

Major overnight strike hits Kyiv

Russian forces launched a large overnight barrage of missiles and drones across Kyiv, killing at least four people and damaging residential buildings, a hospital, shops and offices. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the raids as a "heinous" attack that deliberately targeted civilian areas.

Zelensky: "The main targets for Russia last night were residential neighbourhoods in Kyiv and energy facilities. This was a deliberately calculated attack aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure."

Damage, casualties and response

Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said the four victims came from the same building. Officials reported roughly 30 people wounded as rescuers searched multi-storey apartment blocks with blown-out windows and charred facades. AFP journalists in the capital described scenes of facades hanging loose and rescue teams sifting through wreckage.

Zelensky also reported that debris from an Iskander missile struck the Azerbaijani embassy. Local authorities said a hospital, shops and offices suffered damage during the strikes.

Air defences and weapons used

Ukraine's air force said its forces shot down 405 of 430 drones and 14 of 19 missiles launched in the attack. A senior Ukrainian official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Kyiv's air-defence systems performed well and limited greater destruction, though the official warned Russia is increasingly using ballistic and aeroballistic missiles combined with waves of drones — weapons that are harder to intercept because of their speed and trajectory.

Russia's defence ministry described the operation as a "massive strike" employing drones and hypersonic missiles against Ukrainian military and energy targets.

Separate strike on Chornomorsk market

Hours after the Kyiv attack, a Russian drone struck a market in the southern port city of Chornomorsk, killing two people and wounding seven, Odesa regional governor Oleg Kiper said. Photos posted by officials showed a burnt-out vehicle and debris scattered across the street.

Wider battlefield and energy impact

The attacks came as Russian ground forces press forward in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv acknowledged that hundreds of Russian troops have entered the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which could be at risk of falling — a potential territorial gain for Moscow. Analysts warned that strikes on energy infrastructure risk heating outages as winter approaches.

Ukraine said it launched long-range Neptune missiles at targets inside Russian territory in response. Moscow's defence ministry claimed Russian forces shot down more than 200 Ukrainian drones overnight and reported damage at a major Black Sea oil refinery and a civilian vessel hit that wounded three.

International reaction

G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada urged an immediate ceasefire and reiterated "unwavering" support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. Kyiv rejected Russian demands that it cede additional eastern territory as an unacceptable ultimatum.

All figures and accounts are based on official Ukrainian and Russian statements and on reporting from AFP correspondents.