Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Kiev and other parts of Ukraine early this morning, killing at least four people and wounding dozens, in one of the most intense attacks on the capital since the start of the war, Reuters reports.
Neighboring Poland closed its airspace over two southeastern cities and scrambled fighter jets until the danger passed.
The Ukrainian military said that Russia launched 595 drones and 48 missiles overnight, of which air defenses shot down 568 drones and 43 missiles. Kiev was listed as the main target of the strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack lasted more than 12 hours and caused extensive damage to a cardiology clinic, factories and residential buildings.
He reiterated his appeal to the international community to act decisively and cut off Russian energy revenues that are financing the invasion. So far, Ukraine has failed to persuade US President Donald Trump to impose punitive sanctions on Moscow.
"The time for decisive action has long passed, and we are counting on a strong response from the United States, Europe, the G7 and the G20," Zelensky said on the Telegram network.
Kiev woke up to loud explosions, drones flying overhead and the echoes of air defenses. Smoke from the impact site spread across the morning sky, and the air alert ended at 9:13 a.m. local time (10:13 a.m. CET), nearly seven hours after it began.
Reuters journalists visited a suburb of Kiev, where two rows of newly built houses were almost completely destroyed, and cars parked nearby were crushed by falling debris.
Residents searched the ruins of an apartment building after their windows were shattered by the force of the explosion.
Some citizens rushed to underground metro stations, from where they followed the events on their mobile phones.
Zelensky said that areas in the north, center and south of the country were also targeted, including the southern city of Zaporozhye, where authorities said at least 16 people were injured.
Footage posted on social media showed several severely damaged and burning buildings in Zaporizhia.
Emergency services said at least four people had died, while local authorities reported 67 injured across the country.
A 12-year-old girl was among the dead, although this has not yet been officially confirmed, Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev military administration, said on Telegram.
The BBC reported earlier today that Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that Russia's massive attack on the Ukrainian capital had killed four people and wounded at least eight others.
The BBC also reported that authorities said drones hit several Ukrainian regions overnight, including Zaporizhia, and that at least 16 people were injured.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha said hundreds of drones and missiles were used in the latest attacks across the country.
Reuters previously reported that the head of the Kiev military administration, Timur Tkachenko, said on Telegram that at least three people had been killed and about ten injured in the city.
Sibiha stressed that the attack highlights the need for additional sanctions against Russia to force it to stop its aggression.
"Putin must feel the danger of continuing this war - for him personally, for the pockets of his associates, for his economy and regime," he posted on the X network, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"This is what can make him stop this senseless war," Sibiha said.
In Kiev, drones flew over the city, while air defenses fired for hours, according to witnesses to the Reuters agency, which reported that loud explosions were also heard, and that the airstrike was underway at 9:15 a.m. local time (8:15 a.m. Central European time).
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said earlier that the attack had started a fire at the state cardiology hospital.
Some residents took refuge in metro stations deep underground, where they slept on makeshift beds or sat on folding chairs, following the events on their phones.
Zelensky: Putin won't wait to end his war in Ukraine. He will open another direction
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia would not stop at his country - which is why, he said, it is testing European air defenses with recent incursions into several NATO member states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has since rejected international efforts – led by his US counterpart Donald Trump – to end the war, according to the BBC.
"Putin will not wait to end his war in Ukraine. He will open another direction. No one knows where. He wants it," Zelensky said.
He spoke just hours before the latest Russian strike began hitting Ukrainian cities.
Polish planes took off
In neighboring Poland, fighter jets took off early this morning as Russia targeted western Ukraine, the Polish military said earlier today.
The Polish military further described these actions – which have become routine since Polish and NATO aircraft shot down three Russian drones in Polish airspace on September 10 – as preventive.
Moscow denied responsibility after Denmark said drones had flown over its airports. Denmark itself said the incidents appeared to be the work of a "professional actor," without specifying who it might be.
Estonia has accused Russia of violating its airspace with warplanes.
Following these incursions, NATO launched a mission to strengthen its eastern border.
Trump went so far as to say that NATO countries should shoot down Russian planes in their airspace, the BBC reports.
He also changed his stance on the war in Ukraine, saying for the first time last week that Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory from Moscow.
In a speech delivered at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country had no intention of attacking European Union (EU) or NATO member states, but warned of a "decisive response" to any "aggression" directed at Moscow.
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