A massive Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv early Friday wounded at least 20 people and caused widespread blackouts, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault as a “cynical and calculated” strike targeting energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that Russian forces targeted critical infrastructure, with drone fragments hitting several parts of the city. Firefighters battled blazes in residential blocks, including a 17-storey building where rescuers pulled more than 20 people from flames engulfing the sixth and seventh floors. Five people were hospitalised, authorities said.
The Ukrainian air force said it intercepted 405 of 465 drones and 15 of 32 missiles launched overnight. In the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, a seven-year-old child was killed and at least three wounded in drone strikes, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko described the attack as one of the heaviest concentrated strikes on energy infrastructure since the war began. Around 28,000 families in the Kyiv region remained without power on Friday morning, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said, adding that restoration work would begin once safety conditions allow.
President Zelenskyy called for more support from allies, saying: “What’s needed is not window dressing but decisive action – from the United States, Europe, and the G7 – in delivering air defence systems and enforcing sanctions.” He warned that Russia seeks to create chaos by damaging energy facilities and railways ahead of the heating season.
