Russia Kills 16 in Massive Missile and Drone Barrage Across Ukraine

Russia launched one of its largest drone and missile barrages of the year against Ukraine overnight into Thursday, killing at least 16 people across multiple cities, including a 12-year-old child, and injuring more than 100 others. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 659 (drones) — drones launched in the 24-hour barrage and 44 missiles, including 19 ballistic ones, over a 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. Thursday Kyiv time. Air defense units downed 636 drones and 31 missiles, but 20 drones and 12 missiles reached their targets. The cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro bore the heaviest casualties, with residential buildings struck and fires burning out of control through the night. France 24 described the attack as one of the toughest of the year to date.

Kyiv apartment blocks hit, child among the dead In Kyiv, at least four people were killed, including a 12-year-old boy, and prosecutors put the number of injured in the city at 54, according to The Irish Times. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a drone flying at very low altitude struck an 18-story residential building, while rocket fragments hit the sixth floor of an apartment block in the central Podil district. A large fire broke out in a building in the northern Obolon district, and four emergency medical workers responding to an earlier strike were injured. Rescue teams pulled a mother and child from a damaged building in the central district, where the ground floor was severely damaged. Resident Olena Kapustian, 41, told The New York Times she watched the drone pass the corridor window of her 16th-floor apartment before it struck her building. „It was like a comet” — Olena Kapustian via The New York Times The building had previously been struck in March 2025, causing a fire. „We pray every day for it to end. We want our children to live, to see life — not shelters and sirens” — Olena Kapustian via The New York Times

Odesa and Dnipro hit hardest outside the capital In Odesa, nine people were killed and 23 were injured when strikes hit a high-rise residential building in the southern port city, according to regional officials cited by The Irish Times. Serhiy Lysak, head of the local military administration, wrote on Telegram that the city came under several waves of rocket and drone attacks through the night, with damage reported to infrastructure facilities and a residential building. Regional officials also confirmed damage to port facilities and critical infrastructure. In Dnipro, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, reported two people killed and 27 injured as Russian strikes ignited fires in residential buildings. Images published online showed buildings engulfed in flames. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city in the northeast, officials reported two people wounded in drone strikes, according to Irish Independent.

Odesa: 9, Kyiv: 4, Dnipro: 2, Kharkiv: 0

Russia has conducted large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities throughout the war, which began in February 2022. The strikes have repeatedly targeted residential areas, energy infrastructure, and port facilities. In the days before this attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a temporary 32-hour Easter truce, which both Ukrainian and Russian sides accused each other of violating. Peace negotiations, described by The New York Times as now in their fifth year, have stalled since February 2026, partly due to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Zelensky demands sanctions pressure, Ukraine strikes Russian port President Volodymyr Zelensky said the scale of the overnight attack proved that Russia should not receive any easing of global sanctions or normalization of its international standing. „There can be no normalization of Russia in its current form. Pressure on Russia must work. And it is important that every promise of aid to Ukraine be fulfilled on time” — Volodymyr Zelensky via The Irish Times Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on the international community to act immediately, describing delays in sanctions and support packages as both counterproductive and dangerous. „Delaying sanctions against Russia or support packages for Ukraine is immoral, counterproductive and dangerous” — Andrii Sybiha via The Irish Times Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba confirmed that operational headquarters had been deployed in all affected cities, with rescuers, medical teams, and municipal services working on the ground. Meanwhile, Russian authorities in the Krasnodar region reported that a Ukrainian drone attack on the port of Tuapse on the Black Sea killed two children, aged 5 and 14, and sparked a large fire, according to Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev. Debris fell on enterprises in the port area, and unverified images on Russian Telegram channels showed the night sky lit red by fire. Ukraine had not issued an immediate comment on the Tuapse strike, according to Irish Independent.