Russia launched one of its most intense aerial assaults in months overnight, firing hundreds of drones and missiles across Ukraine in a wave of attacks that killed at least 17 people and left dozens more injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
The strikes hit multiple cities in coordinated waves, with the southern port city of Odesa suffering the highest death toll. Local authorities reported that nine people were killed there. In the capital Kyiv, four people — including a 12-year-old boy — lost their lives, while another four were killed in the central city of Dnipro.
The large-scale bombardment came just days after a brief Orthodox Easter ceasefire, which both sides have accused each other of violating, underscoring the fragility of any pause in hostilities in the more than four-year-long war.
In Kyiv, air raid sirens blared at around 02:30 local time, jolting residents awake before explosions rocked the city. Eyewitness footage shared online showed towering flames and thick black smoke rising from residential areas. One video captured the moment a drone slammed directly into an apartment building.
More Read
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 45 people were injured in the capital, including four emergency medical workers. He added that rescue teams pulled a mother and child from the rubble of a collapsed 16-storey residential building in the central Podil district.
In Dnipro, regional officials said dozens were injured as buildings caught fire following the strikes. The city has faced repeated drone attacks in recent days. Meanwhile, in Kharkiv in the northeast, a 77-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man were injured in a separate drone strike.
Critical infrastructure was also affected. Authorities reported that the southern cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson were left without power following the attacks.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 659 drones along with 44 cruise and ballistic missiles over a 24-hour period. It claimed that 636 drones and 31 missiles were intercepted, but acknowledged that strikes still hit 26 locations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the assault, saying it demonstrated the need for stronger international pressure on Moscow. “Russia is betting on war,” he wrote on social media, urging allies to maintain and tighten sanctions while boosting Ukraine’s defenses.
Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of Patriot air defense systems — key to intercepting ballistic missiles — as global supplies are stretched and increasingly diverted to other conflicts.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attacks as a “war crime” and called for urgent action from international partners. He urged allies to unblock decisions on increased sanctions and accelerate military and financial support.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is awaiting the release of a €90 billion European Union support package, expected to bolster both its defense capabilities and economy. The funding may now face fewer political obstacles following recent leadership changes in Hungary.
Across the border in Russia, officials reported that two people, including a 14-year-old girl, were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Krasnodar region. Five others were injured, and a state of emergency was declared in the city of Tuapse.
More Read
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, shows little sign of ending. Several rounds of peace talks have failed to produce a breakthrough, and diplomatic efforts have stalled in recent months.
Ukraine continues to push for a full and immediate ceasefire as a first step toward peace negotiations. Russia, however, insists that a comprehensive agreement must be reached before any ceasefire can take effect — a position Kyiv says signals a lack of genuine interest in ending the war.
As both sides continue to trade strikes and accusations, the latest wave of violence highlights the ongoing human cost of a conflict with no clear resolution in sight.
