A devastating aerial barrage launched by Russia pounded Kyiv and multiple other Ukrainian locations for a second straight night, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 civilians and wounding dozens more, officials reported on Sunday morning.
The magnitude of the strike stunned Ukrainian defense forces, as Russia unleashed a combined total of 367 drones and missiles. According to Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force, this marked the most extensive aerial offensive since the full-scale war began more than three years ago.
Ihnat told The Associated Press that the attack included 69 missiles and a staggering 298 drones, many of them Iranian-designed Shahed drones.
“This was the most massive strike in terms of the number of air attack weapons on the territory of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022,” Ihnat stated.
Russia offered no official response to the reports as of Sunday morning.
Adding to the weight of the tragedy, the assault coincided with Kyiv Day, a national holiday marking the founding of the Ukrainian capital in the 5th century.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that more than 30 different towns and cities were struck by drones and missiles and reiterated his longstanding plea for tougher international sanctions against the Kremlin.
“This brutality cannot be stopped without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership. Sanctions will certainly help,” Zelenskyy said. “Determination matters now — the determination of the United States, of European countries, and of all those around the world who seek peace.”
“These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities,” Zelenskyy posted on X, naming Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy among the targeted regions.
The aerial blitz unfolded during the third day of a planned prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine — the only tangible result of recent talks in Istanbul, which have yet to bring about any broader ceasefire agreement.
On the other side, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced it had intercepted and destroyed 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The skies above Kyiv lit up with the flash of anti-aircraft fire as loud explosions echoed for hours throughout the capital and nearby districts. Ukrainian air defense systems fought continuously to intercept incoming threats. According to the national security service, four people were confirmed dead and at least 16 were wounded in Kyiv alone.
“A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night. The most massive Russian air attack in many weeks lasted all night,” wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.
Fires broke out across neighborhoods as falling drone fragments ignited homes and businesses.
In the Zhytomyr region, three children — ages 8, 12, and 17 — were killed, with twelve others hurt, according to emergency responders. Four more deaths were recorded in the Khmelnytskyi region, while in southern Ukraine, one man was killed in the Mykolaiv region.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a drone hit a student dormitory in the Holosiivskyi district, igniting a fire on one of the walls. In the Dniprovskyi district, a private home was demolished, and in Shevchenkivskyi, a residential building’s windows were shattered from the blast.
Although the use of aerial weaponry by Russia has been consistently heavy, the bombardments over the weekend were among the most intense in months. A third round of prisoner exchanges was still anticipated to proceed later on Sunday.
{Matzav.com}