Russia unleashes biggest attack yet on Kyiv, kills at least 13, mayor says

Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia launched its biggest attack so far on Ukraine's capital overnight into Thursday, killing at least 13 people and injuring scores more, Kyiv's mayor said. Loud explosions shook the city for hours.

The attack with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across Kyiv. Russia used 74 missiles and 496 drones, Ukraine's air force said, according to the Reuters news service.

Many residents took shelter at metro stations after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials issued the first warnings of the attack.

Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged. The Emergency Service said it deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the attack's aftermath.

But Russia's Defense Ministry said the strike hit what it called key military plants in Kyiv, according to Reuters.

In the wake of the attack, Zelenskyy asked Washington for a license to make Patriot missiles, calling air defense supplies for  his country "an absolute necessity," French news agency AFP reported, quoting a social media post.

And Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on its allies to strengthen the country's air defenses following what he described as a "night of horror" in Kyiv, urging partners not to delay decisions on supplying air defense systems and missiles. Writing on social media, Sybiha said the death toll after the attack may rise as the rescue teams continued their work.

Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine's own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines inside Russia.

Sybiha rejected any attempts to justify Russian strikes as retaliation for Ukraine's long-range attacks, saying Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter while Russia remained the aggressor.

Officials detail attack's damage  

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents of the capital to remain in shelters due to the ongoing "furious enemy attack."

He said a paramedic in extremely critical condition was among the injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Ukraine's Emergency Service said a hotel and two five-story residential buildings were damaged in the area.

In the Desnianskyi district, people were trapped inside a damaged nine-story residential building and rescuers headed to the scene, Klitschko said.

In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a 16-story building, according to the Emergency Service.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fire broke out in two private residencies, the Emergency Service said. Debris trapped people in one of them, according to the mayor. In the Darnytskyi district, six levels of a nine-story building collapsed after a Russian strike and another five-story residential building was damaged, Klitschko said. The Emergency Service said a 16-story building and private residencies were damaged in the area.

Tkachenko said the attack partially destroyed a residential building in the Desnianskyi district, sparked fires near residential buildings at two locations in the Pecherskyi district, and ignited a fire near an administrative building in the Solomianskyi district. He said authorities were also recording damage in the Obolonskyi and Podilskyi districts. The head of the Kyiv Regional Administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, said damage occurred in five regional districts. Three people sustained injuries in Bucha district, he said.