At least 27 people were killed after a wave of Russian drone attacks hit Ukraine’s Kyiv region overnight, leaving 42 others injured and forcing hundreds of residents to flee affected areas.
Kyiv region Governor Tymur Tkachenko said the Bucha district was among the areas hit, with four children included in the number of those injured. He said 381 people had been evacuated as emergency crews continued checking damaged buildings and searching for possible survivors.
Rescue and recovery teams remained at the scene early Saturday as authorities assessed the impact of the strikes.
Tkachenko later confirmed that a separate attack in the Boryspil district had killed a 14-year-old.
"This is yet another victim of Russian terror," he said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his condolences to the families who lost loved ones and said more than 300 emergency responders had been sent to the affected areas.
Zelensky said the overnight assault was not limited to the Kyiv region, with Russian forces also targeting Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.
"Ukraine cannot be alone in finding solutions to protect against such strikes, and I thank everyone who helps with additional support packages and sanctions against Russia," he wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine’s military said its forces brought down 233 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the overnight attacks.
The latest exchange comes amid a rise in Russian and Ukrainian attacks in recent months. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian economic sites as part of its operations.
Moscow, meanwhile, said its territory had also come under attack over the past 24 hours, reporting strikes in the Belgorod and Rostov regions.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slusar said seven people were injured in the attacks.