Hundreds of drones and missiles rained down on Ukraine overnight hitting Kyiv and a number of other regions
Ukraine came under heavy bombardment overnight in what has been described as a “massive” air assault on the country killing at least four people.
Kyiv felt the full force of the strike but several other regions of the country were also hit including the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said Russia had launched an air attack on the country involving hundreds of missiles and drones.
Independent monitors said this was one of the biggest Russian strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the surrounding region since the full-scale war began.
How many casualties have there been?
Writing on the Telegram app on Sunday, President Zelensky said Russia launched around 500 drones and more than 40 missiles in the overnight attack on Ukraine which lasted more than 12 hours.
He said at least four people had been killed and civilian infrastructure including factories and residential properties had been damaged.
Ukraine’s military said Russia had launched 595 drones and 48 missiles overnight and its air defences shot down 568 drones and 43 missiles.
Besides Kyiv, he said the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa had been targeted.
Emergency services said at while 67 people were reported wounded across the country in the attack.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, wrote on the Telegram that one of the dead had been identified as a 12-year-old girl, although that has not been officially confirmed.
“The Russians have restarted the child death counter,” he wrote on Telegram.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a fire broke out at a state cardiological hospital as a result of the attack.
Some residents fled to metro stations underground for safety, sleeping on makeshift beds or sitting on deck chairs following events on their phones.
Ivan Fedorov, Zaporizhzhia’s regional head, said three children were among the 27 wounded in the region, adding more than two dozen buildings were damaged in the region’s capital.
What has been Ukraine’s response to the attack?
President Zelensky called for greater global pressure on Putin to halt the war, which began with Russian’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Posting on Telegram on Sunday, he said: “Moscow wants to continue fighting and killing and deserves only the harshest pressure from the world.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Mr Sybiha, the foreing minister, who wrote on X: “Putin must feel the danger of continuing this war —personally for him, his buddies’ pockets, his economy, and his regime.
“That is what can make him stop this senseless war.”
Poland scrambles jets
Poland scrambled fighter jets early on Sunday morning as Russia struck targets in western Ukraine.
Polish military officials said this was a “preventative” defensive measure to ensure airspace security and protect citizens after Russia launched it attack.
It also closed its airspace near two southeastern cities.
Posting on X, the military said: “In connection with the activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in our airspace.”
Russia has not commented on the latest attack on Ukraine but it’s defense ministry said it shot down 41 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday.
What is the context of the latest attack?
It comes amid mounting concern the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders.
There have been a number of recent incidents this month which have included Russian drones landing on Polish territory and Russian fighter jets entering Estonian airspace.
Three Russian drones were shot down in Poland’s airspace on 10 September.
While three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace “without permission and remained there for a total of 12 minutes” over the Gulf of Finland on 19 September, according to the Estonian government.
Russia has denied its planes entered Estonian airspace and said none of its drones targeted Poland.
Denmark has also reported a number of drone sightings in its airspace.
On Saturday, its military said: “The Danish Defence can confirm that drones were observed at several of the Danish Defence’s locations last night.
“Several capabilities were deployed.”
It follows the closure of Copenhagen airport last Monday night due to the presence of drones. Five smaller airports were also shut temporarily last week.
President Trump said this week he would be willing to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia for the first time during a meeting and he said Nato nations should shoot down Russian planes in their airspace.
On Saturday, President Zelensky said he had provided the US president with a list of requested weapons worth $90 billion.
But Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has warned both EU and Nato nations over “aggression” towards Russia, saying his country has not intention of attacking them.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, he said: “Threats of force against Russia, accused of practically planning an attack on the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, are becoming increasingly common.
“President Putin has repeatedly debunked such provocations.
“Russia has never had and does not have such intentions, but any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response.”
