Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine’s capital early Saturday, firing ballistic missiles and drones that killed at least one person and injured 27 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The strike came just one day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
Loud explosions echoed across Kyiv as the assault began before dawn and continued for several hours.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks with Trump in Florida on Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict. He said the discussions would focus on security guarantees and territorial questions involving the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Calling the attack a clear response to Ukraine’s peace initiatives, Zelenskyy said it demonstrated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no genuine interest in ending the war. He made the comments while traveling in Canada, where he met Prime Minister Mark Carney in Halifax. Carney announced $1.8 billion in economic support for Ukraine, aimed at unlocking funding from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for rebuilding efforts.
Carney condemned the strike on Kyiv, saying it underscored the importance of continued international support for Ukraine.
Homes struck despite Russia’s claims
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it carried out a large-scale overnight strike using long-range precision weapons, including hypersonic missiles and drones, targeting energy facilities and military-industrial sites. The ministry said the attack was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on civilian targets in Russia.
However, Ukrainian officials reported that multiple apartment buildings were hit.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia said its air defenses intercepted Ukrainian drones over several regions, including Krasnodar and Adygeya, with more drones shot down later in the day across other areas. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 20 drones headed toward the capital were intercepted, reporting no damage or casualties.
Russia claims battlefield advances
In a move seen as increasing pressure ahead of the Zelenskyy–Trump meeting, the Kremlin released footage late Saturday showing President Putin receiving military briefings at a command post.
Russia’s top military official, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, told Putin that Russian forces had taken full control of Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region and Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region, along with other settlements.
Putin said Russia would pursue its objectives by military force if Ukraine refused a peaceful resolution.
Ukraine’s General Staff rejected the claims, saying they were unfounded. It stated that fighting continues in both cities and described the situation as difficult but ongoing. Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of spreading misinformation about battlefield successes.
Poland increases security measures
During the Russian attack, Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the Ukrainian border as a precaution, according to Poland’s armed forces. Authorities later said airspace had not been violated and airport operations resumed. It remained unclear why the alert was triggered, as the strikes were focused on Kyiv, far from Poland.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 519 drones and 40 missiles, primarily targeting energy and civilian infrastructure in the capital. Zelenskyy said parts of Kyiv were left without electricity or heating.
Civilian impact
Ukraine’s interior minister said more than 10 residential buildings were damaged. Two children were among the wounded, and seven locations across Kyiv were hit. Emergency crews recovered a body from the rubble of a damaged building, though details were still being clarified.
Fires broke out in several high-rise buildings across different districts of Kyiv, prompting large-scale emergency responses. In the surrounding Kyiv region, industrial and residential structures were also damaged, and one person was rescued from beneath debris in the Vyshhorod area.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, reported widespread power outages in the capital, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity.
Focus on security guarantees
Zelenskyy said he aims to resolve as many outstanding issues as possible during his talks with Trump while maintaining Ukraine’s core positions. He emphasized that security guarantees would be his top priority.
He said a draft peace plan includes U.S. commitments similar to NATO’s Article 5, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all, though key details still need to be finalized in a separate agreement.
Territorial concessions are expected to be among the most sensitive and challenging topics discussed during the meeting.