Crystal Dike
Four people were killed and dozens wounded early Friday as Russia strikes pounded Kyiv in one of the heaviest overnight bombardments in recent months, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The assault, which officials described as intense and coordinated, targeted residential areas and critical energy infrastructure across the capital.
Zelensky said about 430 drones and 18 missiles were launched in the latest Russia strikes, damaging dozens of high-rise buildings and knocking out parts of Kyiv’s heating network. Electricity and water supplies may also have been disrupted, city authorities warned.
The attack began shortly after midnight local time, with Kyiv’s military administration head Tymur Tkachenko issuing a shelter warning at 00:01 Friday (22:01 GMT Thursday). Emergency services reported widespread fires and falling debris hitting a hospital, school and administrative buildings. More than 40 people were rescued, including 14 pulled from a burning residential tower in the Desnyanskyi district, where one person died. Another survivor was retrieved from beneath rubble.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said nine people were receiving treatment in hospital, including one man in “extremely serious condition.” Medical teams were deployed across multiple districts in response to the Russia strikes.
Ukraine’s air force said several other regions, including Sumy, were also hit by drones and guided bombs. The overnight assault follows another deadly round of Russia strikes less than a week ago that killed six people and damaged homes and energy facilities.
Zelensky renewed his call for “no exceptions” to Western sanctions on Russian energy, after the US granted Hungary a sanctions exemption. US President Donald Trump had earlier announced the sanctions, citing stalled ceasefire talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk was struck in an overnight Ukrainian attack, igniting fires at the Sheskharis oil refinery and damaging a ship and nearby apartment blocks. Local authorities declared a state of emergency and halted oil exports.
As Kyiv begins another day of recovery, officials warn that further Russia strikes may target energy facilities as winter bites—underscoring the growing toll of repeated assaults on the capital’s residents and infrastructure.