Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, killing four people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as powerful explosions reverberated across the country.
The attacks followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed via U.S. President Donald Trump, that the Kremlin would hit back after Ukrainian drones destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft in attacks deep inside Russia.
Zelenskyy said three emergency responders were killed in the missile and drone salvo against the capital. Another person died in an attack on the northwestern city of Lutsk.
"Those killed in Kyiv were rescue workers who arrived at the scene of an initial strike and, unfortunately, were killed in a repeat Russian strike," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, writing on X, said Russia had "'responded' to its destroyed aircraft... by attacking civilians in Ukraine.... Multi-story buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged."
Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had carried out the strike on military and military-related targets in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia.
Zelenskyy said 80 people nationwide had been injured in the attacks, which also struck several other towns and cities. He said residents could still be trapped under rubble.
In Lutsk, the national emergency service said 30 people were injured in addition to the one death. Prosecutors said the attack damaged private homes, educational institutions and a government building.
Russian forces also struck industrial facilities and infrastructure in the western city of Ternopil, leaving parts of it without power, Mayor Serhii Nadal said.
The regional administration said the attack had injured 10 people and asked residents to temporarily stay inside due to a high concentration of toxic substances in the air after a fire.
The air force said Russia had used 407 drones, one of the largest numbers recorded in a single attack. Forty-five cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired, it said.
ATTACKS HIT KYIV TRANSPORT SYSTEM
Kyiv's metro transport system was disrupted by a Russian strike that hit and damaged tracks between stations, the military administration said. The state rail company said it was also diverting some trains due to rail damage outside the city.
Reuters witnesses reported a series of booming explosions powerful enough to rattle windows far from the impact sites.
Some Kyiv residents sought shelter in metro stations, or in underground car parks.
In the capital's Solomianskyi district, a Russian drone slammed into the side of an apartment building, leaving a gaping hole and burn marks, a Reuters photographer at the scene said.
Falling concrete blocks from the building crushed cars parked below. Two police investigators were examining what appeared to be the drone's engine.
Earlier in the night, Reuters reporters heard the sound of Russian kamikaze drones buzzing in the sky, accompanied by the sounds of outgoing fire from Ukrainian anti-aircraft batteries.
Zelenskyy called for concerted pressure on Russia.
"If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively," he wrote on X.
The Ukrainian military said it had launched a pre-emptive strike overnight on the Engels and Dyagilevo airfields in the Russian regions of Saratov and Ryazan, in addition to striking at least three fuel reservoirs.
In one of the most audacious attacks of the three-year-old war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian spies last weekend destroyed some of Russia's strategic bomber aircraft on the ground using quadrocopter drones hidden in wooden sheds.
After a phone conversation with Putin on Wednesday, Trump said the Kremlin was planning an unspecified response to the Ukrainian attack on the Russian air bases.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
33 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
Ukraine takes out military targets and russia takes out apartment buildings. Checks out.
falseflagsteve
Total carnage and both sides without unwilling to compromise in any way.
Of course this and similar will happen over the next few days, this is a mess and it ain’t ending soon, mark my words.
ok1517
As always, Russia killing civilians destroying civilian infrastructure!
They're oh so good at that! Pure terror!
He, Putain, doesn't want to liberate - he wants to erase Ukraine and everything connected to Ukraine!
Genocide - that's the correct description of his and his marauders' actions!
Underworld
falseflagsteve
Incorrect.
Zelenskyy wants peace.
Putin doesn't.
TaiwanIsNotChina
How should Ukraine compromise on its territory and legal right to defend itself against a country 4x as big?
geronimo2006
Russia again deliberately killing civilians and then rescue workers by double tapping. Like the London blitz, the strikes will cause damage but I don't think it will cause Ukraine to break if that's what Putin is aiming for. Although unlikely, his next move could be to use a nuke given the likelihood of a muted US response. But I think he'll only do that if he's becoming desperate to end the war quickly due to economic woes. The percentage of drones and missiles shot down was high, and the number fired was not as high as expected so there either could be more on the way or Russia don't have that many stockpiled. Meanwhile, Ukraine again hit military targets inside Russia including another airfield. Yet to see Russia's summer offensive and the battlelines on the front have barely nudged. In other interesting news it appears the Europeans are able to supply Ukrainian with enough munitions to keep them going, and reliance on the US/Trump is now largely over.
falseflagsteve
Underworld Taiwan
Zelensky demands peace on unrealistic terms. Regardless of how right he is, these will never happen so war continues and more carnage and more deaths.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Unless you can recommend from experience how surrendering land and eliminating your armed forces has turned out well, the war should continue.
TaiwanIsNotChina
And it is entirely likely that russia will continue to be chewed up and spit out like it has been over the past three years.
Underworld
falseflagsteve
Zelenskyy's terms are a lot more realistic than Russias. And it's his starting bid.
He is also open to a ceasefire.
Russia is not.
The war continues because Putin doesn't want to stop it.
falseflagsteve
Underworld
Both leaders are lunatics who prevent democracy and a free press. Neither have decent morals at all.
TaiwanIsNotChina
A russian talking point. Zelenskyy wasn't even president when this started because, you know, democracy.
Fighto!
Correct.
Despicable genocide from the fascist side. But no one would expect any less from Russians, looking back through their despicable history of crimes against women, children and civilians.
Russians murdering civilians - just Russians doing what Russians do.
Underworld
falseflagsteve
True for Putin. Not for Zelenskyy.
Mr Kipling
Both sides propaganda will only show civilian damage and not military or infrastructure hits. They don't want to give the enemy battle damage assessment and they want the gullible to believe that the other side is targeting civilians. It is also illegal to photograph or film enemy attacks. However, if you search you can find videos of electricity sub stations and military targets being destroyed by these attacks.
JJE
Negative - not apartment blocks. That is mere repeating the narrative of the regime.
RMoD struck a series of military targets all across the country - including the-hallowed patriot batteries in the capital, which got greased by ballistics.
Article mentions Lutsk - it's on camera, pinpoint strikes there by Kodiaks roaring in. Definitely with flare countermeasures and looks like that turbofan got an upgrade too. The residents filmed it.
And they say this wasn't in reply to the rock spider acts. Safe to say that is coming.
Underworld
JJE
Oh, please, Russia has been targeting civilians since the start of this war. Let's not pretend that is not what they are doing.
Underworld
Mr Kipling
Ukraine takes out military targets and russia takes out apartment buildings. Checks out.
While Russia targets civilians, Ukraine does not.
Ukraine targets military targets (including infrastructure - like oil refineries).
JJE
Oh, please, read the article. Zelensky and his foreign minister assert one thing. RMoD assert another.
Here is a battery in Kyiv firing off a salvo before it gets popped.
https://x.com/AMKMapping/status/1930846738753241315
WoodyLee
The two sides are NOT READY for Peace yet.
Russia and Ukraine will someday realize that Peace is Precious.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Ukraine already agreed to an unconditional ceasefire just like in the Korean War.
stormcrow
Putin’s very ANGRY!
Why?
Because Ukraine is defending itself.
JJE
Examine the secondary in this. Now that's awfully mushroom-shaped for an 'apartment block':
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1931044013291004319
JJE
Trump commented on developments Friday to reporters. He said he "didn't like" the attacks on Moscow's bomber fleet. Here are his exact words:
"Well, they gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night"
*"That's something I didn't like about it. When I saw it, I said: 'Here we go... now it's going to be a strike."*
Underworld
JJE
Weak Trump.
TokyoLiving
Keep provoking the bear, kyiv regime will see the serious consequences..
ClippetyClop
He called the operation, "badass" and "strong".
Putin doesn't have the cards to do that. All of his cards are currently in play. The only one he has is, "Stop fighting back or it will be nuclear war for all of us.". He doesn't have a special war box labelled "Ooh, now we are really going to start properly invading."
Loool etc. Wonder if that will happen by the time you reach puberty?
JJE
Looking at current events (i.e. right now), it appears Moscow's reply is continuing, if not intensifying. Kingbolt/Kazoo types and more.
This will be in the article tomorrow no doubt.
ClippetyClop
You sound a bit deflated.
Weren’t you expecting something a bit more exciting than just slamming missiles into apartment blocks?
JJE
Not at all.
Article mentions Lutsk city. That is in deep west Ukraine, not far from the Polish border in fact. Here are some of the missile strikes on that location:
https://x.com/squatsons/status/1930858966113726704
Blacklabel
Lutsk appeared to have an underground bunker where all the new in delivered missiles were been hidden, but now destroyed.
TaiwanIsNotChina
These are the people that couldn't take air superiority over Ukraine, got surprised time and time again on the battlefield, and couldn't prevent trucks of drones from being smuggled into their country. I think we can ignore their talking points.
nandakandamanda
Give it a break, Putin. You've made your point 100 times over. Or are you afraid to stop?