Russia launched “hundreds of drones and missiles” overnight from Saturday to Sunday in a massive attack on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
Sybiga described the assault on the social media platform X as a “new massive air attack on Ukrainian cities while people were sleeping,” adding that it caused civilian casualties and destroyed residential buildings.
The capital, Kyiv, and its surrounding region were targeted in what observers called one of Russia’s largest offensives since the war began on 24 February 2022. The attack was ongoing past 7:00 local time (6:00 in Belgium).
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported on Telegram that several districts in the city were struck by missiles and drones. At least five people were injured, and a five-storey residential building was partially destroyed. Fires also engulfed other buildings and cars, prompting many residents to seek refuge in underground metro stations.
Other cities, including Zaporizhzhia in the southeast and Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine, were also hit, local authorities told The Kyiv Independent. In Zaporizhzhia, which was struck “at least four times,” explosions damaged a school and set a residential tower ablaze, leaving four people injured, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov.
Ukrainian officials also accused Russia of severing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the Ukrainian grid and attempting to connect it to Russia’s network. The facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian control since March 2022.
