A devastating Russian assault across Ukraine killed at least 18 people early Tuesday, as Moscow unleashed hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in what officials described as a 'nightmare' attack. The onslaught came days after Russia threatened a large-scale offensive and warned foreign citizens to leave Kyiv.
Massive aerial barrage
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones, with Ukrainian defenses downing 602 drones and 40 missiles. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard air raid sirens before a series of loud explosions that sent residents scrambling to metro stations for shelter.
Anastasia, whose residential building was damaged, described a 'terrifying' night spent in her bathroom. 'All the windows were blown out completely; there are no windows at all. The night here was just a nightmare,' she told AFP.
Casualties across the country
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed six people killed and at least 66 wounded in the capital. In Dnipro, 12 people died, including two children, after a four-storey apartment building collapsed. In Odesa, a maternity hospital was struck, but no casualties were reported. In Kharkiv, 15 people, including a child, were wounded, according to Mayor Igor Terekhov.
Power outages and damage
More than 100,000 Kyiv residents lost electricity temporarily, private supplier DTEK announced. The state grid operator reported cuts in Kyiv and several other regions. Rescue workers cleared debris from gutted residential buildings as dawn broke over the capital.
Political reactions
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called the attack a sign of Russian desperation, stating, 'Putin is a war criminal and loser who has no cards except terror. Moscow is losing on the battlefield.' President Volodymyr Zelensky used the attack to appeal for US military support, writing, 'Europe needs its own anti-ballistic defence... and assistance from the United States in supplying missiles for Patriot systems is absolutely necessary.'
Russia claimed it targeted Ukraine's military-industrial complex with hypersonic missiles and denied targeting civilians. Moscow's warning to foreigners to leave Kyiv drew outcry at the United Nations.
Escalation and peace prospects
The intense strikes have dimmed hopes for peace, especially with the White House focused on conflict with Iran. Ukraine also struck targets in Russia, killing one person in the Kursk region and sparking a fire at an oil refinery in Krasnodar.
Russia launched a record 8,150 long-range drones at Ukraine in May, an AFP analysis showed, up 24 percent from April. Kyiv intercepted about 90 percent of incoming drones and missiles but struggles against ballistic missiles, 33 of which were fired in the latest barrage.
Zelensky reiterated calls for allies to supply Patriot missiles, writing to US President Donald Trump and Congress last week. The war, now in its fourth year, remains the bloodiest in Europe since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced.
