Russia launches major drone and ballistic missile attack on Kyiv; at least 8 killed as explosions rock Ukrainian capital

Russia launched a major overnight drone and ballistic missile attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least eight people and injuring more than a dozen as multiple explosions rocked the city and damaged residential buildings.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was under a combined attack involving ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, while emergency services responded to multiple incidents across the city."Kyiv is under attack from ballistic missiles and UAVs," Klitschko said on Telegram.AFP journalists in the central and eastern districts of Kyiv reported hearing more than a dozen explosions after Ukraine's air force issued warnings of incoming ballistic missiles.Also read: 9-storey Kyiv apartment building partially collapses after Russian attack; residents trappedKlitschko said a hotel roof caught fire on central Shevchenko Boulevard, while residential buildings were also hit in the overnight assault. Earlier, Reuters witnesses reported that Kyiv remained under sustained drone and ballistic missile attacks.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned hours before the strikes that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing a major assault on the capital.

Zelenskyy said he was cutting short his visit to Dublin in anticipation of the attack.The latest barrage came days after Ukraine stepped up long-range drone attacks inside Russia. Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow, following a strike less than two weeks ago on a major oil refinery in the Moscow region, described as the largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure and other critical facilities. Ukraine, meanwhile, has expanded its long-range drone capabilities, enabling strikes deep inside Russian territory.A report released on Wednesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies said that, by some estimates, more than 90 per cent of Russian casualties were caused by drone attacks rather than direct ground combat, underscoring the growing role of unmanned systems in the conflict.