Russia Launches Massive Attack on Ukraine, Kyiv Hit Hard/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Russia launched one of its largest air assaults of the war, killing three emergency workers in Kyiv and injuring others across Ukraine. The barrage came hours after Trump suggested letting Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while.” Ukrainian officials condemned the attacks as terroristic and indiscriminate.
Russia Ukraine War Attack Quick Looks
- Russia launched 407 drones and 44 missiles in a massive nighttime assault.
- Three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the attacks.
- Ukrainian air defenses intercepted up to 200 drones and 30 missiles.
- Trump said Ukraine and Russia might need to “fight for a while” before peace.
- Kyiv and multiple regions, including Ternopil and Poltava, were damaged.
- Russia claims to have struck military targets; Ukraine says civilian areas were hit.
- Ukraine countered with drone and missile strikes deep into Russian territory.
- Air defenses in Moscow and other Russian regions were also activated.
- Ukraine’s human rights commissioner called for international condemnation.
Russia Launches Massive Attack on Ukraine, Kyiv Hit Hard
Deep Look
Deadly Russian Missile and Drone Assault Hits Kyiv After Trump Remarks on Ukraine War
KYIV, Ukraine — In one of the largest coordinated aerial attacks since the war began in 2022, Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine early Friday, killing at least three emergency workers in Kyiv and injuring civilians in several regions.
The devastating overnight strike followed fresh comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested that it might be strategically better to allow Ukraine and Russia to “fight for a while” before intervening to enforce peace.
“Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,” Trump said Thursday at the White House. His remark, made during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, triggered global debate and appeared to mark a shift away from his prior calls for a swift peace agreement.
Massive Assault Hits Six Regions
According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian attack targeted six regions, including Kyiv, Ternopil, Poltava, and Lviv. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched a staggering 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, with air defense systems intercepting approximately 200 drones and 30 missiles.
In Kyiv, the country’s capital, the explosions lit up the sky for hours. Fires broke out as falling drone debris struck several neighborhoods. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration, urged residents to seek shelter as civil defense teams scrambled to respond.
Three emergency responders were killed while on duty, attempting to help residents during the barrage. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry praised their sacrifice, saying, “They were working under fire to help people.”
Civilians Caught in the Crossfire
Fourteen-year-old Kyiv resident Vitalina Vasylchenko described sheltering in a parking garage with her younger sister and mother after an explosion shattered their apartment window. “My whole life flashed before my eyes,” she said. “I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack.”
Fires were reported in multiple residential buildings, including a high-rise in the Solomyanskyi district. Power outages affected over 2,000 households on the city’s eastern bank.
In the western city of Ternopil, 10 people were injured in a separate strike that damaged infrastructure and left areas without electricity and water. Three others were injured in Ukraine’s central Poltava region.
Additional Russian missiles targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, and the northern Chernihiv region, expanding the geographic scope of the attack.
Ukraine Responds With Drone Strikes in Russia
Ukraine launched retaliatory drone attacks deep into Russian territory. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses intercepted 10 Ukrainian drones near the Russian capital. Ukrainian drones also hit infrastructure in three other Russian regions, injuring three people and damaging industrial facilities.
The Ukrainian General Staff claimed its drones struck airfields, fuel storage depots, and rail hubs used for Russian military logistics. In Belgorod, a railway track was blown up, causing a locomotive to derail—a tactic Ukraine has increasingly used to disrupt Russian supply chains.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its strikes were limited to legitimate military targets, including drone factories and repair facilities. However, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed those assertions, accusing Russia of targeting civilians and infrastructure.
“The difference … is that Ukraine hits legitimate military targets,” Sybiha wrote on X. “Russia targets residential areas, civilians, and critical infrastructure.”
Peace Talks at a Standstill
The overnight assault further dims hopes for a diplomatic resolution. The U.S.-backed push for peace has led to two rounds of direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, but no breakthrough has emerged.
President Zelenskyy has offered a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and proposed a direct meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Russia has so far declined, sticking to demands that Kyiv and its allies reject.
“The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations,” said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. “In reality, Russia refuses to offer any meaningful concessions.”
Earlier this week, Putin reportedly told Trump he would retaliate after Ukraine’s long-range strike on Russian air bases last Sunday—a threat that appears to have materialized with Friday’s attack.
Ukraine Calls for Global Response
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, described the latest assault as a blatant violation of international law and called for an urgent global response.
“Russia is acting like a terrorist, systematically targeting civilian infrastructure,” Lubinets wrote. “The world must respond clearly and take concrete steps, including condemning the aggressor’s actions.”
The attack also sparked renewed demands from Kyiv for more Western air defense systems, as Ukrainian forces remain stretched thin defending against sustained Russian bombardment.
You must Register or Login to post a comment.