At least eight people have been killed and 33 others injured after a wave of Russian missile strikes hit Kyiv and surrounding areas early Thursday, damaging residential buildings, industrial sites and a children's hospital as the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its fifth year.
The overnight barrage struck several parts of the capital and the wider Kyiv region, with emergency teams searching through rubble for people trapped inside damaged buildings. Two people were rescued as authorities continued assessing the extent of the destruction.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine described the strikes as a “massive attack” on Kyiv and the surrounding areas.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a children's hospital was among the facilities damaged. Windows were shattered and vehicles parked nearby were set on fire. An industrial centre in the Solomyanskyi district, south-west of Kyiv, was also hit.
In the wider Kyiv region, one man was killed and another wounded in the Brovary district, regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said.
Residents were forced to seek shelter several times during the night as Ukrainian authorities issued repeated air-raid alerts. The Ukrainian air force warned that missiles were moving towards the capital.
The strikes also hit energy infrastructure, disrupting electricity supplies to thousands of properties and leaving parts of the Kyiv region without power. Repair teams were sent out to restore electricity.
The latest barrage comes amid a wider increase in Russian air attacks across Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than a dozen Ukrainian regions had come under attack over the past week. He said Russia had launched more than 1,550 attack drones, 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles during that period.
The violence has also spilled into countries bordering Ukraine.
Romania said a drone entered its airspace near the Ukrainian border before crashing in an uninhabited area about 13km east of Galați. A small fire broke out after the crash, but no casualties or material damage were reported.
Poland also said it had begun “defensive air operations” to protect its airspace.
The war dates back to February 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and fighting began between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The conflict escalated sharply on February 24, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia said its military action was aimed at protecting Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, stopping Ukraine from moving closer to the West and responding to what Moscow described as security threats linked to Nato expansion.
Ukraine and its Western allies rejected those claims, calling the invasion unprovoked and accusing Russia of seeking to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty.
More than four years after the full-scale invasion, Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, mainly in the east.
Ukraine has also stepped up attacks inside Russia, including drone strikes targeting Moscow. Two separate attacks in Russia this week killed at least 16 people, including a child.
Ukrainian forces have also targeted Russian logistics infrastructure. Ukraine's Defence Ministry said repeated strikes on Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, had disabled seven of its 10 largest logistics centres.
The latest escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire continue to make little progress, with Moscow and Kyiv still accusing each other of carrying out attacks against civilians.