Russian missile, drone blitz claims 16 lives in Kyiv region

Hours-long aerial assault pounds Ukrainian capital as air defences face intense strain; 40 people injured

Kyiv: Russia pounded Kyiv and the surrounding region with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime attack that killed at least 16 people, officials said on Thursday.

The barrage included ballistic and cruise missiles and fast-flying, jet-powered drones, putting further strain on Ukraine’s air defences. Explosions boomed across the capital as the attack continued for hours.

Emergency services said 15 people were killed in Kyiv and another in the wider Kyiv region. About 40 people were wounded, Ukrainian Presi­dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “It was a massive attack,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia had combined different types of missiles and dro­nes to cause maximum damage to civilian infrastructure.

The Russian Defence Minis­try said the strikes hit a Kyiv industrial site manufacturing components for Ukraine’s Fla­mingo cruise missiles. It also clai­med sites involved in dro­ne production and storage, an ammunition depot and a log­istics centre were hit.