Russia struck Kyiv with one of its largest attacks of the war overnight into Thursday, firing 74 missiles and 496 drones at the Ukrainian capital over an 11-hour period. At least 22 civilians were killed and scores more injured, including at least two children, as emergency crews spent the day digging through the rubble of collapsed and burned apartment buildings across the city.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 48 missiles and 476 drones, but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones broke through, striking 33 locations. Among the sites damaged were a nine-story residential building where a single missile destroyed 64 apartments, an ambulance station, a scientific institute, a hotel, and an energy infrastructure facility operated by private company DTEK. An inventory warehouse belonging to Ukrainian publishing house BookChef was destroyed, with approximately 800,000 books lost.

More than 50,000 residents sheltered in Kyiv's subway stations during the attack, with many having preemptively sought cover after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned hours earlier that a massive Russian strike was imminent. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Friday a day of mourning. Zelenskyy vowed retaliation, saying Ukrainian forces would 'definitely' respond to what he called a deliberate assault on civilians and residential areas.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the bombardment was carried out in retaliation for a Ukrainian 40-day blitz of long-range drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries and supply infrastructure, which Moscow said has caused severe fuel shortages. Ukraine has increasingly used advances in drone technology to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, including on the Crimean Peninsula, disrupting supply lines and slowing Russian battlefield progress, according to analysts and Western officials.

The attack is among the deadliest single strikes on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war remains the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, and Thursday's strike underscores the continued Russian willingness to target civilian population centers as both sides escalate long-range strike campaigns against each other's territory.