The deadliest strike occurred in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where regional authorities reported seven fatalities and 36 injuries. Images shared by officials showed heavily damaged apartment buildings, destroyed vehicles and a devastated children’s playground.
Among those killed was a rescue worker who died while responding to an initial strike. Emergency services said the worker was caught in a second attack, a tactic often referred to as a “double-tap” strike that targets first responders arriving at the scene.
In the capital, Kyiv, at least four people lost their lives and 65 others were wounded, including children. City officials said a missile strike caused part of a 24-storey residential building to collapse, raising fears that additional victims could be trapped beneath the rubble.
Several other buildings across the city were damaged by falling missile debris, sparking fires in residential neighborhoods. Authorities reported burning vehicles and blazes in open areas, including near a kindergarten.
Residents described scenes of chaos as explosions echoed across the city overnight.
“We couldn’t understand what was happening. It felt like an apocalypse,” said Kyiv resident Olha Mudra, who sheltered with her six-year-old daughter after the attack, according to France 24
Air raid alerts were issued across large parts of Ukraine as thousands of people sought refuge in metro stations and underground shelters.
The overnight bombardment also disrupted electricity supplies in Kyiv. Ukrainian energy company DTEK said around 140,000 residents initially lost power, although electricity had been restored to most affected households by Tuesday morning. Two company employees were injured during emergency repair operations.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles during the attack, with Kyiv appearing to be the primary target. Military officials claimed that 602 drones and 40 missiles were intercepted or neutralized.
An Air Force spokesperson said Russia used eight Zircon hypersonic missiles, one of the largest reported deployments of the advanced weapon during the war. According to Russian claims, the missile can travel at speeds exceeding nine times the speed of sound and has a range of about 1,000 kilometers.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed carrying out what it described as a large-scale strike against Ukraine’s defense industry facilities using long-range precision weapons.
The assault came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia could be preparing a major offensive operation. In a video address on Monday, Zelensky urged citizens to remain alert and follow air raid warnings.
Russia had recently announced plans to intensify attacks on military-related targets in Kyiv, saying the move was a response to a drone strike in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that Moscow said killed 21 people. Ukraine denied deliberately targeting civilians and maintained that its operations focus on military objectives.
Elsewhere, officials in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region reported that 10 people, including a child, were injured in separate missile and drone strikes.
Meanwhile, authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region said a drone attack triggered a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery. Officials in Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea, also reported efforts to repel incoming drones.
The latest escalation highlights the continuing intensity of a conflict that has lasted more than four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have so far failed to produce significant progress.
