Russia launched in the early hours of this Monday a massive airstrike against various cities in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, using missiles and drones in an offensive that left at least nine people dead and another 105 injured, according to Ukrainian authorities.
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The attack, one of the most intense in recent weeks, mainly hit Kyiv and the central city of Dnipro, causing damage to residential buildings, fires, power outages, and the deployment of emergency teams in multiple urban areas.
In the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that at least four people died and another 58 were injured, including two minors.
One of the most serious incidents occurred in the Podilskyi district, where a nine-story building partially collapsed after a so-called “double attack,” a tactic that consists of striking an area again after the first impact.
“There may be people trapped under the rubble,” Klitschko warned.
The head of the Kyiv Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, detailed that vehicles were set on fire and missile debris hit roofs and buildings, causing fires and window destruction.
Damage was also reported in 15- and 24-story residential buildings in the Solomianskyi district, while in Obolonskyi drone debris fell near a kindergarten and caused a fire in a building under construction.
In addition, fires broke out at gas stations and commercial buildings in various parts of the capital, including the Darnytskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi districts. Also, a medical center suffered structural damage and part of a business building collapsed.
The explosions began around 1:30 a.m., even before air raid alerts were officially activated. New detonations were heard later around 2:15, 4:00, and 7:20 a.m., accompanied by partial power outages.
In the region surrounding Kyiv, damage was also recorded to homes, warehouses, and non-residential buildings in the Bucha and Vyshhorod areas. According to regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk, at least three people were injured.
The city of Dnipro was another of the most affected by the Russian offensive. There, authorities confirmed the death of six people and at least 36 injured.
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Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha indicated that 23 of the injured had to be hospitalized, including a 13-year-old girl.
Images shared on social media showed partially destroyed residential buildings and extensive material damage. The mayor of Dnipro, Borys Filatov, noted that 49 homes were affected and seven were “practically destroyed.”
In Kharkiv, another of the attacked cities, drones and missiles hit various districts, damaging residential buildings, vehicles, and administrative offices. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that ten people were injured.
Amid the offensive, the Polish Air Force announced the deployment of Polish and allied aircraft to protect the country’s airspace due to the proximity of Russian attacks.
Ukrainian authorities had warned in recent days about the possibility of a large-scale offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that intelligence services detected Russian preparations for new massive bombings.
“There is no reason to believe that anyone in Moscow will come to their senses,” the president said in one of his nightly messages, urging the population to stay alert to air raid alarms.
The new offensive arises amid diplomatic stalemate and after recent public warnings from Moscow about possible attacks on “decision-making centers” in Kyiv.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reportedly even recommended that the United States evacuate its embassy in the Ukrainian capital, a request that was ultimately not accepted.
The bombing also comes after one of the largest attacks recorded in Kyiv in the past year, when Russia launched on May 24 about 90 missiles and 600 drones against various points in the country, even damaging government buildings and cultural centers in the capital.
