At least 18 civilians were killed and more than 90 others injured after Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, unleashing a barrage of missiles and drones that shook the Ukrainian capital for nearly 11 hours.
The massive attack came as Moscow said it was retaliating for recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, which have disrupted fuel supplies and increased pressure on the Kremlin.
Explosions echoed across Kyiv throughout the night, forcing residents to seek shelter in subway stations and underground facilities. Emergency crews continued searching through the debris of damaged residential buildings on Thursday morning, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Ukraine's Emergency Service said the strikes killed 18 people in the capital, while Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that more than 90 others were wounded.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the bombardment as a "night of horror" for Kyiv, saying that Russian strikes had damaged around 30 sites across the city, including residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
According to Kyiv's military administration, around 20 apartment buildings sustained damage. In one district, residents became trapped inside a nine-story building, while six floors of another residential block collapsed following the strikes.
Russia's Defense Ministry said the attack targeted Ukraine's military-industrial facilities and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other regions, describing the bombardment as a "massive retaliatory strike" ordered in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the strikes were directed exclusively at military or military-linked targets.
However, Ukrainian officials rejected the Russian justification, accusing Moscow of once again targeting civilian areas.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired 74 missiles, including 24 ballistic missiles, along with 496 drones of various types during the overnight assault, making it one of the most intense aerial attacks since the start of the war.
The strikes came amid an escalating Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian oil refineries and military infrastructure deep inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the campaign as a sustained offensive aimed at weakening Russia's war machine and forcing the Kremlin to engage in negotiations.
On Thursday, Ukraine's General Staff announced that its forces had struck one of Russia's largest oil refineries in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, triggering a fire at the facility.
Ukrainian forces also said they targeted a railway bridge in the Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast that was being used to transport troops and military supplies.
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, including initiatives led by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, attempts to secure a ceasefire or peace agreement have yet to yield tangible results.
Western analysts say recent Ukrainian drone operations have disrupted Russian supply lines and energy infrastructure, while also slowing Moscow's military advances on the battlefield.
The Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War said Russia's spring-summer offensive has so far failed to achieve significant operational gains, noting that the pace of Russian advances in June 2026 was only a fraction of that recorded during the same period last year.
