Major Russian attack claims 20 lives in Kyiv

Ukrainian strikes batter Moscow’s oil sector

Kyiv: Russia launched an 11-hour drone and missile assault on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, killing at least 20 civilians and injuring more than 90 in what Moscow described as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities. Powerful blasts rocked the capital for hours as residents sheltered in subway stations. Rescue teams searched the rubble of damaged apartment buildings after strikes hit about 30 locations, mostly residential areas and civilian infrastructure.

Kyiv administration head Tymur Tkachenko confirmed the death toll, while Mayor Vitali Klitschko said over 90 people were injured. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha descri­bed it as a “night of horror” and said the toll could rise.

Russia’s defence ministry said the barrage targeted military industry facilities, fuel and energy complexes, and airfield infrastructure. Krem­lin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the strikes were directed only at military-linked targets. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of attacking civilian areas.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in the Nizhny Novgorod region and damaged a railway bridge in occupied Luhansk used to transport Russian troops and military supplies.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cost 4,50,000 lives, with casualties exceeding 2 million, as per a study by Center for Strategic and International Studies, CNN reported. It estimates Russia has suffered 1.4 million killed, wounded or missing troops and is unable to recruit soldiers as quickly as it is losing them. —AP