KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a large overnight assault on Ukraine early Sunday, firing ballistic missiles, drones and guided bombs that killed at least six people and injured dozens across Kyiv and several other cities.
The attack highlighted Ukraine’s continued vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes as officials renewed calls for stronger air defense capabilities.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 drones overnight. Most of the missiles targeted the capital, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The barrage began around 1:30 a.m. and continued for several hours.
Russia intensifies missile campaign
Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles in recent weeks while attempting to limit Ukrainian attacks on oil infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
The intensified campaign has renewed discussions about expanding Ukraine’s air defense network.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is willing to grant Ukraine licenses to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, which are widely considered the country’s most effective defense against ballistic missiles.
However, officials have not released details of the proposal, and domestic production would likely take years to establish.
Kyiv sustains extensive damage
Explosions echoed across Kyiv as missiles struck multiple districts, igniting fires and damaging apartment buildings, office space, industrial facilities, a student dormitory and dozens of vehicles, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Emergency crews rescued four people from a burning home in the Sviatoshynskyi district.
Firefighters also evacuated residents from a three-story apartment building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where one person was found dead.
Additional fires broke out in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts.
Kyiv resident Viktoria Shejko said she and her husband sheltered in the hallway of their apartment building with their seven children after receiving ballistic missile alerts.
“When the alarm started, we checked that there were ballistics, then went into the corridor. Then it started exploding one missile after another,” she said.
She said the attacks have become increasingly difficult to endure because what were once weekly bombardments now occur almost every day.
Other cities also come under attack
Russian guided bombs also struck Kherson and Sumy.
Local officials said at least one person was killed in each city.
Later Sunday, another strike hit a postal facility near Kharkiv, killing three people and injuring at least 20 others, regional authorities said.
Moscow says military facilities were targeted
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attacks targeted facilities supporting Ukraine’s military operations.
Officials said the strikes hit factories producing Flamingo drones and components for Neptune guided missiles.
The ministry also claimed it struck a postal terminal that was allegedly being used to store dual-use goods and assemble drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment.
Those claims could not be independently verified.
Energy infrastructure remains under pressure
Fighting also spread to energy infrastructure.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said an attack involving two oil tankers temporarily halted loading operations at its export terminal near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The vessels, identified as ASIA and NISSOS, caught fire during the incident, although crews extinguished the blaze aboard the ASIA.
The consortium said no injuries or oil spills were reported and did not identify who carried out the attack.
The terminal serves a 940-mile (1,510-kilometer) pipeline transporting crude oil from Kazakhstan’s Caspian oil fields to Novorossiysk.
The route carries about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
Russia and Russian state-owned energy companies collectively own a 31% stake in the consortium.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine have sharply increased attacks on ships operating in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov over the past week.
Ukraine says strikes on oil tankers are intended to disrupt fuel supplies supporting Russian forces in occupied Crimea and to target Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which Kyiv says transports oil in violation of international sanctions.
Ukraine expands attacks inside Russia
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces carried out additional long-range strikes inside Russia on Sunday.
He said the Security Service of Ukraine attacked three oil depots in Russia’s Stavropol region, while another military unit struck a separate fuel facility.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces also attacked three Russian tankers operating in the Black Sea.
Earlier, Stavropol Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that Ukrainian drones had started fires at industrial sites in two locations but did not identify the facilities or report casualties.
Independent Russian news outlet Astra reported that three oil depots may have been burning in the region, citing photos and videos submitted by local residents.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 140 Ukrainian drones overnight across eight Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.
The ministry did not say how many drones Ukraine launched or how many reached their intended targets.
In Russia’s Kursk region, Gov. Alexander Khinshtein said Ukrainian drones struck four apartment buildings, sparking a fire and injuring one person.
Ending
The latest exchanges illustrate how both Russia and Ukraine are expanding long-range strikes beyond the battlefield, increasingly targeting military facilities, energy infrastructure and transportation assets as the war enters another phase of sustained escalation.
This report is based on reporting by The Associated Press.
Article Topics: Russia | Ukraine | Kyiv | Missile Attacks | Air Defense | Black Sea | Energy Infrastructure | Patriot Systems
