Horror in Ukraine as Putin blitzes Kyiv with 700 drones and missiles | World | News

Russia unleashed a night of terror on Kyiv after launching a colossal barrage of more than 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine in one of the most devastating assaults of the war. At least one person was killed, and 33 were wounded after Vladimir Putin ordered a huge overnight blitz involving 675 drones and 56 missiles, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Explosions ripped across the Ukrainian capital as residential blocks, schools and civilian infrastructure were pounded in the attack. A multi-storey apartment building in Kyiv’s Darnytsia district partially collapsed after being struck, splitting the structure in half and trapping residents beneath the rubble.

Ukraine’s emergency services said at least 10 people were pulled alive from the wreckage as rescue workers clawed through smouldering debris searching for survivors. Energy infrastructure in Kremenchuk was also hit, with the port and residential areas in Chornomorsk targeted.

One terrified resident, 78-year-old Lyudmila Hlushko, described the horror of the strike.

“Then the house shook violently and there was a loud bang, breaking the glass in my house,” she said after hearing explosions and rockets flying overhead around 3am.

Mr Zelensky said Russia targeted “ordinary residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic, and other purely civilian infrastructure”.

He added: “Ballistic, aeroballistic, and cruise missiles were used in the strikes. The main target of this attack was Kyiv.”

Ukraine’s air force claimed its defences managed to shoot down or jam 693 aerial targets, including 41 missiles. But officials said 15 missiles and 23 drones still hit targets directly across 24 locations – debris from intercepted drones fell across an additional 18 locations.

The overnight bombardment came just hours after Russia launched another massive daytime assault involving more than 800 drones and missiles.

“In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities,” Mr Zelensky said.

“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end.”

The Ukrainian leader’s remarks were aimed at Putin’s recent claims that the conflict could soon end.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the timing of the attacks, coinciding with a summit involving Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing, showed Moscow remained a danger to global security.

“At the very time when leaders of the most powerful countries are meeting in Beijing, and the world hopes for peace, predictability and cooperation, Putin launched hundreds of drones, ballistic and cruise missiles at the capital of Ukraine,” he said.

“Only pressure on Moscow can make him stop.”