Russian Bombardment Kills Four and Injures Dozens in Ukraine

Ukraine has endured one of the heaviest aerial assaults in months, with waves of missiles and drones striking cities across the country for more than twelve hours.

Officials in Kyiv confirmed that at least four people, including a 12-year-old girl, were killed in the capital, while more than 70 others were wounded nationwide. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the bombardment as a “vile” act, warning that Ukraine would retaliate. He said the attacks showed that Moscow remains intent on continuing the war.

According to Ukrainian authorities, the barrage involved nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles directed at seven regions, leaving widespread destruction. Defence Minister Igor Klymenko reported that at least 100 civilian sites were damaged, among them apartment blocks, a bakery, a rubber factory and Kyiv’s Institute of Cardiology, where a nurse and a patient lost their lives.

In Zaporizhzhia, 34 people were injured, including three children. Regional officials said one boy was caught in an explosion while another suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. In Sumy, a 59-year-old man was killed during strikes.

Residents of Kyiv described a night of sirens, anti-aircraft fire and explosions, as alerts urged people to take shelter while swarms of drones approached the city. Entire neighbourhoods across the country were reported in ruins.

The Kremlin claimed its forces were targeting military and industrial facilities. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov later told the UN General Assembly that Moscow has no intention of attacking NATO or European Union member states, though he warned of a “decisive response” if Russia were threatened.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president appealed for a strong international reaction, calling for tougher sanctions on Russia and renewed pressure on Moscow to return to the negotiating table. He welcomed recent comments from US President Donald Trump, who suggested Ukraine could still reclaim occupied territory and signaled support for harsher measures against the Kremlin.

The assault also rippled beyond Ukraine’s borders. Poland scrambled fighter jets as Russian strikes hit western Ukraine, a move the Polish military described as precautionary. Denmark’s defence ministry reported sightings of drones over military sites for a second consecutive night, while NATO announced plans to strengthen its mission in the Baltic Sea with enhanced surveillance and the deployment of an air-defence frigate.

Several NATO members, including Poland, Estonia and Romania, have accused Russia of airspace violations in recent weeks, prompting renewed calls to bolster defences along the alliance’s eastern frontier.

Zelensky insisted that Moscow’s aggression would not be confined to Ukraine, arguing that the latest incidents were a test of Europe’s ability to respond. “This is how Russia declares its real position,” he said, vowing that Ukraine would strike back.