Ukrainian authorities reported eight fatalities following an extensive Russian aerial assault that struck multiple cities across the nation in the early hours of Friday. The coordinated attack, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as one of the most significant strikes on the capital to date, deployed approximately 430 drones and 18 missiles targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas.
The overnight offensive claimed six lives in Kyiv, while two additional casualties occurred in Chornomorsk, a Black Sea port city in the southern Odesa region. Ukrainian officials confirmed that the assault left dozens injured, including children and a pregnant woman among the wounded.
President Zelenskyy characterized the attack as “a specially calculated strike aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure.” The assault primarily focused on Kyiv but also struck the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa regions, according to the Ukrainian leader.
The capital city bore the brunt of the offensive, with drones and missiles smashing into high-rise apartment blocks across nine districts, sparking multiple fires and scattering debris through residential neighborhoods. Tymur Tkachenko, Head of Kyiv’s Military Administration, reported that at least 34 people sustained injuries across the city, with emergency services responding to strikes at schools, medical facilities, and administrative buildings.
In a significant diplomatic development, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv sustained damage from debris originating from an Iskander missile strike. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev condemned the incident as “unacceptable,” prompting Azerbaijan to summon the Russian ambassador in protest.
In the Odesa region, Russian drones struck a busy market street in Chornomorsk during peak market hours, killing two people and wounding 11 others, including a 19-month-old girl, according to Oleh Kiper, Chief of the Regional Military Administration.
The attacks triggered partial power outages across several regions, including central Kyiv, southern Odesa, and eastern Donetsk, as confirmed by Ukraine’s energy ministry. Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted the majority of incoming threats, though falling debris and direct hits caused substantial damage to civilian infrastructure.
President Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s retaliatory response, stating the nation is answering these attacks with long-range capabilities. The Ukrainian leader confirmed his forces utilized modified domestically produced Neptune missiles to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, as Kyiv intensifies its campaign against Russian oil refineries, depots, and pipelines to disrupt Moscow’s primary war funding sources.
Industry sources confirmed that Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk temporarily halted oil exports, equivalent to approximately 2.2 million barrels per day or two percent of global supply, following a Ukrainian drone attack on Friday. The attack reportedly struck oil loading facilities at the Sheskharis terminal, sparking fires and damaging a civilian vessel.
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged conducting strikes but claimed its forces targeted “critical energy infrastructure” linked to Ukraine’s military industry, describing the operation as a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. Moscow reported intercepting 216 Ukrainian drones across multiple Russian regions overnight.
President Zelenskyy called on the international community to impose stronger sanctions against Russia, asserting that “only pressure with sanctions and strength can force Russia to end this war.” The Ukrainian president stressed that Russia continues to profit from oil sales despite ongoing conflict, urging Western allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities with additional systems and interceptor missiles.
The assault occurred amid continued diplomatic efforts to resolve the nearly four-year conflict, with top European defense officials meeting in Berlin on Friday pledging sustained support for Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal participated remotely in the discussions.
Residents of Kyiv recounted harrowing experiences during the night-time barrage. Mariia Kalchenko, a 46-year-old volunteer rescue dog handler, described her narrow escape, telling reporters, “I didn’t hear anything, I just realized that my hair was on fire,” after her apartment building sustained a direct hit.
Another resident, 29-year-old Anastasia, described the chaos as explosions rocked her building: “At that moment you don’t know what to do first: save yourself, your child, or run to help people, because so many people were screaming and needed help.”