Russian air strikes kill eight in Kyiv as Poland scrambles fighter jets
Russian forces launched an overnight barrage of ballistic missiles and drones against Kyiv, killing eight people and injuring 33, while prompt military aviation measures were triggered across the Polish border.
Overnight aerial strikes on Ukrainian cities
Russian forces launched a coordinated overnight assault on Kyiv and surrounding areas using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and heavy drones. An air raid alert in the Ukrainian capital remained in effect for over eight hours as Ukrainian air defence units engaged incoming targets across multiple districts. Air defence forces shot down or neutralized 56 drones during the wave of attacks.
Witnesses reported hearing over a dozen detonations shortly after midnight, with damage recorded across the Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Darnytskyi districts. Blasts and falling debris caused fires in residential housing, industrial facilities, and storage warehouses. Several municipal districts suffered electrical blackouts as the strikes disrupted power distribution infrastructure.
- Russian forces launch ballistic missile and drone strikes across Kyiv districts.
- Polish Armed Forces scramble fighter jets and put air defence systems on alert.
- Poland's Government Security Centre lifts aerial danger alert for border regions.
- Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirms casualty count has risen to 8 dead and 33 injured.
Casualty figures and structural damage in the capital
Emergency services confirmed that eight people were killed and 33 injured in Kyiv by Thursday morning. In the Solomianskyi district, a missile hit a nine-story residential apartment block, while debris also damaged a five-story residential building nearby. A local children's hospital sustained structural damage with blown-out windows and burning vehicles in its courtyard.
Crews from the State Emergency Service extracted two survivors trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. In one location, residents were temporarily trapped inside an air raid shelter before rescue teams could clear the entrance. In the wider Kyiv region, one man was killed and another injured in the Brovary district.
- Fatalities
- 8 people
- Injured
- 33 people
- Hospitalised
- 14 people
- Rescued from rubble
- 2 people
Ukrainian official response and damage assessment
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko provided updated casualty figures on Thursday morning after emergency teams assessed the impacted residential and non-residential sites.
According to clarified data, eight people died in the capital as a result of the enemy attack. Thirty-three residents of the city were injured.
The Center for Countering Disinformation, functioning under Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, reported that the strikes primarily struck civilian infrastructure and residential areas, including healthcare facilities, shops, garages, and commercial warehouses. Fourteen of the injured residents were transferred to municipal hospitals for urgent care, while others received outpatient treatment at the scene.
Polish military activation and border security alerts
The scale of the Russian air operation prompted neighbouring Poland to initiate defensive protocols along its eastern frontier. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces activated air defence systems and scrambled fighter jets to safeguard national airspace against potential incursions.
In connection with the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, military aviation operations in Polish airspace have begun.
Poland's Government Security Centre issued mobile alert messages to residents of the Lubelskie and Podkarpackie voivodeships warning of aerial strikes across western Ukraine. Ground-based air defence units and radar reconnaissance systems remained on elevated readiness until 05:31, when authorities officially announced the end of the immediate threat.
