Russia launches massive overnight attack on Ukraine, killing at least 7; unidentified object crashes in Poland

Overnight barrage

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, firing over 70 missiles and more than 280 strike drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian air defences shot down over 260 drones. The assault, which Zelensky had warned of earlier on Wednesday, struck multiple regions including Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Among the weapons used were Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles, which fly at low altitudes and reduce radar warning time. The attack came just hours after Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss Patriot missile production licences and diplomatic efforts.

Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as our Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, came under attack overnight. Dozens of ordinary homes, civilian businesses, and infrastructure facilities were destroyed and damaged. Over 70 missiles were used in this attack, a significant portion of which were ballistic missiles. Over 280 strike drones were also used. Over 260 drones were shot down.

Casualties in Kryvyi Rih

The deadliest strike hit a village on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih, President Zelensky's hometown. A Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile fired from Voronezh region struck a private house where a large family lived, killing six people, including two girls aged 5 and 12, and four adults. Eight others were injured, among them two boys aged 6 and 15. The head of Kryvyi Rih's Defence Council, Oleksandr Wiłkuł, said rescue workers were still searching the rubble and the death toll could rise.

In a village on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih, as a result of a direct hit by an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Voronezh region in Russia, two girls aged 5 and 12 and four adults were killed. A large family lived in the house. Eight people were injured, including two children — boys aged 6 and 15.

Strikes on Lviv and Kyiv

In Lviv, near the Polish border, missiles struck around 4:45 am local time, heavily damaging two residential buildings on Patona and Wyhowskiego streets. Mayor Andriy Sadowy said about 20 people were injured and rescue teams were still pulling survivors from the rubble. Over 20 residential buildings, a school, and two kindergartens were damaged. In Kyiv, at least one person was killed and two injured, with fires breaking out in a market pavilion and a five-storey apartment block. Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters as ballistic missile threats persisted. Explosions were heard in the capital in two waves, at 1:18 am and 3:50 am local time.

Around 4:45 am Lviv was attacked by missiles. The greatest damage was recorded in two residential buildings on Patona and Wyhowskiego streets. Currently, about 20 people are known to have been injured. Rescue workers are still pulling people from the rubble.

Polish airspace violation

The attack triggered air alerts in eastern Poland. At 3:50 am, sirens sounded in Lublin and parts of Lublin province after radar detected intense Russian long-range aviation activity. Poland scrambled F-16 fighters and an early warning aircraft, and ground-based air defence systems were put on high alert. An unidentified object entered Polish airspace and later disappeared from radar. A Mi-24 helicopter located a probable crash site in an uninhabited area near Tarnawa-Kolonia, where a crater about 10 metres in diameter and scattered metal fragments were found. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said authorities were working to identify the object. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile had violated Polish airspace during the attack. The alarm in Lublin was cancelled at 4:00–4:01 am.

Work is underway to clarify what type of object fell near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia.

Diplomatic backdrop

The barrage followed a meeting between Zelensky and Trump in Washington, where they discussed licences for producing interceptor missiles for Patriot systems and the need to intensify diplomatic efforts. The talks lasted just over an hour. Zelensky had warned on Wednesday evening that Russia might carry out a massive attack that night, and he renewed calls for partners to increase supplies of air defence systems, including missiles for Patriot batteries.