Five Killed as Strikes on Kyiv Resume – Five people have been killed in Kyiv as part of a major overnight Russian attack on Ukraine.
Russia reportedly targeted 29 locations across the country, launching drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles into Ukraine.
Ukraine War TOS-2. Image Credit: X Screenshot.
It marks the first strikes on the Ukrainian capital since a three-day temporary ceasefire was agreed, preventing attacks on Kyiv and Moscow during a weekend-long visit by United States envoys.
A “Complex” Attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky provided an update on social media following the overnight attacks.
“It was a complex attack that the Russians tried to plan to cause as much harm to life as possible – ballistic missiles, cruise and anti-ship missiles, and jet-powered ‘Shaheds’ [were all used],” he said in a post on X. He confirmed that two people had been killed in the country’s capital, with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko following up to say a further three had lost their lives.
“In the Kyiv region, critical infrastructure was struck,” Zelensky continued, confirming additional strikes in the Odesa, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions.
A Range of Missiles Used
Ukraine’s air force added that more than 200 projectiles were fired into the country overnight.
This included 166 drones, 32 cruise missiles, and an unspecified number of anti-ship and ballistic missiles. Of these, 142 drones, 31 cruise missiles, and two ballistic missiles were downed, it added.
The country’s capital and the port city of Odesa were reportedly the main targets, although 29 locations across Ukraine were struck.
“Overall, our warriors downed 175 aerial targets overnight, but unfortunately, not all of them,” President Zelensky added. “Despite very good results against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles remain particularly difficult to intercept, and every day we make the case to our partners for our need for interceptors.”
He said the meetings would continue with Western allies to secure more air defenses, thanking those who “make support for Ukraine’s air defense a priority.”
Differing Targets
Throughout the conflict, Russia has extended its aerial campaign beyond military targets. This continued overnight, with strikes on a residential building in Kharkiv, a train in Sumy, and a market in Odesa, according to the Ukrainian President.
Russia – which has increasingly extended aerial assaults into daylight hours in recent weeks – also struck the building of the “We Are Ukraine” TV channel while it was live on air. Five people were injured in the attack, which was reportedly inflicted by a “Shahed” drone.
“‘Shaheds’ against the media mark a new chapter in Russia’s degradation, and Europe and the world must certainly respond to this,” Zelensky said in a follow-up post.
Days After Diplomacy
The latest wave of overnight attacks comes just days after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv for peace talks. During the visit, both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed not to strike each other’s capitals in a three-day temporary agreement.
Witkoff and Kushner met with President Putin on Saturday for more than three hours of talks. The White House said the meeting saw both sides discuss “substantive plans for next steps” towards ending the conflict, which would be announced in the “coming weeks,” while Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “highly useful.” The following day, the U.S. officials met President Zelensky, who described discussions as “very substantial” while indicating that the war looked likely to continue into the forthcoming winter.
Following the meeting, Witkoff said both Russia and Ukraine needed to make “some compromises and narrow the issues between them” to end the conflict.
Ukraine Attacks Back
Ukraine also struck Russian assets overnight, with four reportedly killed and 18 others injured. Acting Governor of Belgorod Alexander Shubayev said one person had been killed as part of 112 attacks on the region over a 24-hour period, while a 39-year-old man was killed at a gas station in Starodub – approximately 20 miles north of the Ukrainian border.
Strikes were also reported at an oil refinery in Saratov – the latest in Kyiv’s campaign against Russian energy infrastructure. Regional Governor Roman Busargin did not confirm the reports, stating only residential homes had been hit, injuring ten people. In occupied Crimea, Kremlin-installed leader Sergei Aksyonov said two people were killed as a result of a drone strike on Simferopol.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it intercepted 384 drones overnight, with Moscow among the regions targeted.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
