Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine overnight, striking Kyiv and several other cities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles. Dramatic footage circulating online showed multiple missiles hitting the Ukrainian capital within seconds, with bright fireballs lighting up the night sky and thick plumes of smoke rising above residential areas.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia fired 73 missiles and 656 drones across the country, targeting Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia among other cities. Ukrainian air defences intercepted or suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones, but a significant number still reached their targets.Officials said at least 22 civilians were killed and 138 wounded in the nationwide bombardment. Six deaths were reported in Kyiv, while 16 people were killed in the central city of Dnipro.

Rescue workers searching through the rubble recovered the bodies of a three-year-old child, a woman and her eight-year-old son from a destroyed apartment block.The attack continued into the morning, with explosions heard across multiple regions. In Kyiv, damage was reported in eight districts, affecting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. At least 81 people were injured in the capital alone.

Residents described terrifying scenes as missiles and drones struck the city. Thirty-seven-year-old Iryna Salikova spent the night sheltering in a bathtub with her three-year-old daughter. “Our window was broken. A cobblestone flew into the children’s room,” she said. “Thank God we’re alive. Today we’re alive, today we’re lucky.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for additional Western air-defence support, saying the attack demonstrated that Russia would continue missile strikes unless Ukraine received stronger protection.The latest barrage comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin intensifies Moscow’s aerial campaign amid Ukraine’s reported shortage of advanced air-defence systems. Russia’s Defence Ministry said the strikes targeted military-industrial facilities across several regions, while Ukrainian authorities said residential areas, energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure were hit.