Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia has intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine with one of the most sustained assaults since the start of the full-scale war, unleashing waves of drones and missiles across two consecutive days and leaving civilian areas devastated.
At least 17 people were killed and more than 120 others injured as the attacks stretched from Wednesday into Thursday with little break. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia deployed more than 1,500 drones against Ukraine in just 36 hours.
Details of the scale are stark: Wednesday’s barrage included 41 missiles and 652 drones, followed by nearly 800 drones on Thursday. While air defences intercepted the majority of the incoming threats, numerous strikes still hit residential zones, damaging over 50 buildings nationwide.
Survivors described scenes of chaos and destruction. One resident recalled the terrifying moment of impact: “The sound was unbelievable. The sound of something moving at very high speed. It felt like the whole building was shaking… windows and glass flying everywhere. And it felt like the house was collapsing.”
Another eyewitness said: “Everything collapsed. Everything was blown apart by the blast wave. The window frames were twisted out. I got up, not even sure if I was alive or not… Then I started running barefoot over the glass.”
Rescue teams worked urgently through rubble in Kyiv and surrounding areas, pulling survivors from collapsed apartment buildings amid clouds of smoke and streets covered in debris. In one incident, emergency workers in the Kyiv region safely removed an unexploded missile warhead embedded inside a residential structure.
A local who witnessed a direct hit told of the shock: “I saw the hit with my own eyes… There is a gap between these two buildings which wasn’t there before. Such a tragedy has happened.”
The renewed Russian offensive comes shortly after a brief ceasefire ended and coincides with Ukraine stepping up its own long-range drone strikes on military and strategic targets deep inside Russia. Both nations are now routinely extending operations well beyond the traditional front lines.
The heavy civilian toll has renewed urgent appeals for enhanced Western military assistance, especially modern air defence systems to better protect Ukrainian cities and towns.
