Russia unleashed a terrifying overnight attack with missiles and drones on Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, striking terror across Ukraine. As reported, Russia attacked with 70 missiles—including Zirkon, Iskander, and Kh-101 missiles—as well as 611 drones. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at least 60 missiles targeted Kyiv, where 4 deaths and 28 injuries were reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense described the strike as a "response" to the terrorist attacks conducted against civilian targets and infrastructure in Russia, stating that military airfields and Ukraine's defense industry infrastructure were hit. At the same time, Russia categorically denied striking the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, claiming it was hit by an American Patriot missile.
Shock attack with 70 missiles and 611 drones
Russian forces launched 70 missiles of various types and 611 unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) overnight against targets in Ukraine, according to data released by the Ukrainian armed forces. The Ukrainian side claims that 50 missiles and 582 drones were intercepted. Specifically, the Ukrainians report that:
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5 out of 6 Zirkon hypersonic missiles were shot down.
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15 out of 34 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles were shot down.
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All 30 Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles were shot down. According to the Ukrainians, 20 missiles and 27 drones managed to hit their targets. The main objective of the attack was Kyiv, while missile strikes were also reported in the cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv.
Zelensky: Over 60 missiles targeted Kyiv
In his statements, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that at least 60 missiles were aimed at Kyiv. As he said, more than 60 out of the 70 total missiles launched overnight targeted the capital. According to the data provided so far by Zelensky, the attacks on the Ukrainian capital caused at least 28 injuries and four deaths. Ukrainian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations, and the number of victims may change as the recording of the damage and consequences of the attacks progresses.
Large fire in Kyiv
Following the nighttime attacks, a large-scale fire broke out in Kyiv. According to Ukrainian authorities, three helicopters are participating in the firefighting operation as crews struggle to bring the fire under control. Kyiv's energy infrastructure was hit during the night, resulting in power outages for some consumers, according to the Ukrainian power grid operator, Ukrenergo. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that more than 140,000 consumers in the northern part of the capital were left without power overnight. The Ukrainian energy company DTEK later announced that electricity had been restored for about 105,000 residents. The air raid warning for the capital lasted more than four and a half hours during the night.
Extensive destruction
At the same time, extensive fires occurred at the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio and the Comfort Town residential complex. According to the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, damage and fires were recorded in almost all districts of the Ukrainian capital.
In the Obolon district, damage was recorded to apartment buildings and warehouses, with fires at the debris fall sites, and about 30 vehicles were destroyed by fire.
In the Podil district, there were fires in a private house and a three-story building after falling debris; in the Solomianskyi district, damage to residences and a fire at an educational institution were reported, while in the Pechersk district, damage was recorded to houses and non-residential buildings. 
In the Desnianskyi district, a fire was reported at a kindergarten facility; in the Holosiivskyi district, fires broke out at warehouse facilities with damage to a house and infrastructure; and in the Darnytskyi district, debris fell into open spaces.
Russia: Patriot hit the Dormition Cathedral
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex was hit by a missile from the American MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft system, not by a Russian strike."With confirmed evidence, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra building complex was hit by a missile from the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system," the Russian Ministry of Defense reports. The Russian ministry added that a possible cause of the system's "malfunction" could be the delivery of expired missiles to Ukraine by Western countries. "One of the causes of the specific system's malfunction could be the fact that Western countries delivered missiles with expired shelf lives to the Kyiv regime," the ministry stated. For their part, Ukrainian authorities have attributed the damage at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to the massive Russian missile and air attack carried out overnight, while so far, no independent evidence has been presented publicly to confirm either the Russian or Ukrainian claim.
The Dormition Cathedral was hit
A Russian unmanned aerial vehicle struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, causing a fire on the roof of the Dormition Cathedral, according to Ukrainian Director General Maksym Ostapenko.
As Ostapenko stated, the drone struck the central part of the cathedral's roof around 01:30, causing damage to a significant number of structures in the upper part of the complex. According to him, religious relics and museum exhibits were immediately removed from the cathedral, while competent services are assessing the extent of the damage. Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Culture, Ivan Verbytskyi, reported that other buildings within the Lavra complex were also damaged, although most are characterized as limited in scale.
Additionally, according to Ukrainian authorities, the John Kushnik Tower, a 17th-18th century defensive work that is part of the Lavra's fortifications, was damaged during a second attack.
Attack in Kharkiv and Dnipro as well
Beyond Kyiv, explosions occurred in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kropyvnytskyi. In Kharkiv, according to Ukraine's Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko, at least five people were killed and five others injured by Russian shelling. The attacks occurred hours after the phone call between the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the President of the US, Donald Trump, regarding efforts to end the war. In a new post, Zelensky described the fire at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra as "one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian civilization to date." Significant delays were also reported in a series of rail routes in Ukraine following the night attacks. Ukrzaliznytsia announced that the longest delays range from three to nearly four hours and concern, among others, the following routes: Odesa – Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih – Kyiv, Kharkiv – Lviv, Kyiv – Sumy, Odesa – Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia – Solotvyno, and Kharkiv – Uzhhorod.
Russian Ministry of Defense: We hit the defense industry and military airfields of Ukraine
The Russian armed forces carried out strikes against Ukrainian defense industry facilities, military airfields, and recruitment and mobilization centers in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in its announcement. According to the ministry, the attacks were carried out in response to "terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime." As the statement mentions, Russian forces launched a massive strike with long-range high-precision air, land, and sea-based weapons, as well as attack drones, against facilities of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex, military airfields, and mobilization centers. The Russian ministry claimed that all targets were successfully hit and that the operation achieved its objectives.
16 facilities of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex reduced to ashes
The Russian armed forces struck at least 16 facilities of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex during the massive night attack with long-range precision weapons, according to data released by the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to the data released by Moscow, the targets hit include: 12 factories and industrial facilities of the Ukrainian defense industry; production units for drone and cruise missile components; and assembly and storage facilities for unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles. At the same time, the Russian ministry reported that strikes were carried out on four military airfields: Vasylkiv, Uman, Cherkasy, and Krasna Slobidka. Additionally, according to the Russian statement, recruitment and mobilization centers (TCC) in Kyiv were also targeted, without specifying their exact number. The Ukrainian side has not confirmed these specific claims by Moscow, and reports regarding the damage and targets of the attacks have not been independently verified.
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