Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on Kyiv early Friday, killing four people and injuring at least 34 others, including a pregnant woman, Ukrainian officials said. Explosions echoed across the capital as debris set buildings and cars on fire.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said emergency crews responded to multiple impacts throughout the night. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia used more than 430 drones and 18 missiles in the nationwide attack.

The barrage also targeted Odesa and Kharkiv, but Kyiv was hit hardest, with missiles and drones striking high-rise residential areas. Zelenskyy called it a “deliberately planned attack” aimed at causing maximum civilian harm. Moscow claimed it targeted military and energy sites, a statement Ukrainian officials rejected.

Ukraine said its Patriot air defense systems intercepted 14 missiles, but widespread damage was still reported across eight of Kyiv’s 10 districts. Authorities warned of potential power and water outages as firefighters battled blazes in apartments and homes.

Residents described narrow escapes. One woman said she awoke to find her hair on fire after her building was hit, while another recounted being knocked to the floor by an explosion before she could reach a shelter.

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Russian strikes also killed two people in Odesa’s Chornomorsk district. In the wider Kyiv region, critical infrastructure and private homes were damaged.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed it shot down 216 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, including Krasnodar, Crimea and Saratov. Local authorities in Novorossiysk said an oil depot and coastal facilities were damaged, and a civilian ship was hit by falling debris.

Ukraine, however, said it struck targets deep inside Russia using modified Neptune missiles, part of its ongoing effort to weaken Moscow’s military and energy assets.

Source: AP