by
The attacks began after nightfall, with air raid alerts blaring for over eight hours as waves of drones and missiles struck the city. Ukraine’s air defenses managed to intercept many of the incoming threats, but 72 drones penetrated, surpassing the previous record of 537 set just days earlier. The strikes caused widespread damage, setting schools, buildings, and cars ablaze, and impacting railway infrastructure. Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, confirmed damage to the Polish consulate in Kyiv.
The assault came hours after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Trump expressed disappointment that Putin showed no interest in ending the war. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, reiterated Russia’s stance, stating the “Special Military Operation” would continue until its objectives are met. Russia’s defense ministry claimed the strikes were retaliation for “terrorist acts” by Ukraine, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as a “demonstratively significant and cynical” escalation, urging global allies, particularly the US, to intensify sanctions on Moscow.
Zelensky later held a “fruitful” call with Trump, focusing on US weapons supplies critical for Ukraine’s air defenses. The conversation followed Washington’s decision to pause some arms shipments, a move Kyiv warns could weaken its ability to counter Russian advances. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized the need for flexibility to ensure Ukraine’s defense capabilities, while Germany confirmed discussions with the US to supply Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.
The strikes extended beyond Kyiv, hitting regions including Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv. In a separate incident, Russia reported a Ukrainian drone strike in its Rostov region, killing one woman. The intensifying air campaign follows a pattern of escalating Russian attacks as ceasefire talks falter, more than three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
