A barrage of drones and missiles hits Kyiv, leaving thirty dead

The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko, described it as “the most massive attack” on the capital since the start of the war and has declared today a day of mourning. According to the European Union’s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, Russia has unleashed “hell on Kyiv”. What is certain is that the toll from eleven hours of raids involving drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles is already extremely heavy: at least thirty dead and around ninety injured, according to the head of the capital’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko. Moscow has justified these attacks as a response to recent Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure on Russian territory, but residential buildings, an ambulance station and a historic hotel in the centre of Kyiv have not been spared.

The attack, coming just a few days before the NATO summit in Ankara, brings the Ukrainian issue back into the spotlight – as if there were any need – particularly the matter of air defence, which Kyiv would like to strengthen, as President Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to reiterate yesterday.

The large-scale Russian offensive – which, incidentally, had been foreshadowed by Zelensky at the press conference held to mark the start of the Irish EU Presidency in Dublin – began late on Wednesday evening with a drone attack on the capital’s historic district, prompting the population to seek shelter in bomb shelters and underground stations; this was followed by the launch of ballistic and cruise missiles, interspersed with fresh waves of attacks involving swarms of drones, which continued until dawn.

According to initial estimates, 130 buildings have been damaged, including a nine-storey residential block that has collapsed, an ambulance station (where three paramedics and three drivers were injured), a Red Cross humanitarian aid depot, the National Institute of Biochemistry, and a historic hotel, a landmark of early 20th-century Ukrainian architecture. Military bases and energy facilities were also hit – the only targets Russia has acknowledged. By dawn on Friday, 30 people had been confirmed dead and around 90 injured, including several children.

Overall, according to figures provided by the military authorities, Ukraine has shot down 48 of the 74 missiles launched in total and 476 of the 496 drones. This is a relatively high percentage, but it has not prevented the rest from striking more than thirty sites. Hence Zelensky’s reiterated appeal to allies, particularly the United States: the attacks – the president wrote in a post on X – have shown that supplying Ukraine with air defences remains an absolute priority. ‘It is particularly important,’ he added, ‘to press ahead with the implementation of our agreements on the production of anti-ballistic systems. We are also counting very much on a decision by the United States regarding licences for Patriot systems and other forms of cooperation.’