KYIV, Ukraine — A devastating wave of Russian missile and drone strikes pounded Ukraine early Friday, killing at least six people and injuring over 80, in one of the most intense barrages in recent months, as reported by Agency France Press. The assault came in apparent retaliation for Ukrainian drone strikes that reportedly destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft deep inside Russian territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that three emergency responders were killed in Kyiv when a second Russian missile struck the site of an earlier impact. Additional fatalities were reported in the northern city of Chernihiv, where two people died, and in Lutsk, where emergency teams recovered the body of a man from a collapsed apartment block.
Kyiv’s metro system was disrupted after a missile strike damaged tracks between stations, forcing trains to reroute. In Solomianskyi district, a Russian drone slammed into an apartment building, carving a hole in its side and igniting fires that left burn scars on its facade. Cars below were crushed by falling debris.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported Russia launched an overwhelming 407 drones and fired 45 cruise and ballistic missiles overnight — among the largest salvos since the war began. Air raid sirens and the hum of kamikaze drones filled the sky, followed by explosions powerful enough to shake windows miles from the epicenters.
In Ternopil, missile strikes hit industrial sites, knocking out power in parts of the city. Authorities urged residents to stay indoors due to toxic smoke from chemical fires. Ten people were injured.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strikes, saying Moscow had “responded to destroyed aircraft by attacking civilians.” The Kremlin, however, claimed the targets were military-related, labeling Ukraine’s previous drone operations as “terrorist acts.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, said Ukrainian drone strikes had provoked Moscow. “They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night,” he remarked.
Zelenskiy renewed his call for global solidarity: “If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives — that is complicity.”
Rescue efforts are ongoing amid fears more victims remain trapped in the rubble.
