Kyiv awoke on Friday under a thick cloud of acrid smoke after enduring an unprecedented night of Russian bombardment targeting nearly every district, Ukrainian authorities reported.
Throughout the night, the capital echoed with the sounds of air defence guns, buzzing drones, and powerful explosions as Russia launched a record-breaking 550 drones and 11 missiles – the highest number since the war began, with 72 drones breaching Ukraine’s defences.
The massive assault came just hours after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Trump expressed disappointment over Putin’s unwillingness to end the war.
Meanwhile, in Russia, officials said a Ukrainian drone attack killed a woman in the Rostov region near the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s air force confirmed the attack surpassed the previous record of 537 drones fired last Saturday. Air raid sirens blared for over eight hours as repeated waves targeted Kyiv – the main focus of the strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as one of the war’s most “cynical and demonstrative”, calling it a “harsh, sleepless night” and stressing that it showed Russia has no intention of halting its invasion. He urged international allies, especially the US, to ramp up sanctions and pressure on Moscow.
Videos shared by Ukraine’s emergency services showed firefighters battling intense blazes across the capital. At least 23 people were injured, with damage reported to railway infrastructure, schools, vehicles, and residential buildings. Poland’s foreign minister confirmed damage to the Polish embassy in Kyiv.
Russian strikes also hit the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv as Moscow intensifies its air assault amid stalled ceasefire negotiations. The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has now raged for over three years.
Following his call with Putin, President Trump admitted “no progress” was made to end the conflict, stating: “I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”
The Kremlin reiterated its determination to eliminate what it called “the root causes of the war”, with Putin recently declaring, “the whole of Ukraine is ours”.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky expressed hopes to discuss US weapons supplies with Trump, after Washington decided to pause shipments of critical air defence systems, jeopardising Kyiv’s ability to repel escalating Russian attacks.
Trump maintained that weapons are still being sent to Ukraine but criticised former President Biden for “emptying out our whole country” by supplying arms to Kyiv without ensuring adequate reserves for US defence.
Credit: BBC
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