Russia launched more than 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine in multiple waves overnight, killing at least 18 people in what local officials said was the deadliest attack in months.
Officials reported nine fatalities in the southern port city of Odesa, five in the central city of Dnipro, and four, including a child, in the capital, Kyiv.
In Russia, two individuals, including a child, were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the southern Krasnodar region, according to Moscow.
This devastating assault follows a brief ceasefire during Orthodox Easter last weekend, where both sides accused each other of hundreds of violations.
In Kyiv, warning sirens jolted civilians awake at 02:30 local time on Thursday, followed soon after by explosions that rocked the city.
Eyewitnesses provided chilling accounts, capturing images of bright orange fires and massive plumes of black smoke in central areas. Notably, a drone was seen slamming into an apartment block.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that among the dead was a 12-year-old boy, with another 45 individuals injured. Rescuers successfully pulled a mother and child from the wreckage of a collapsed 16-story residential building.
The city's mayor confirmed that four emergency medical workers were among those injured in the northern parts of Kyiv.
In Dnipro, regional head Oleksandr Ganzha stated four people were killed with a dozen more injured due to the Russian attack, predicting that another body would be discovered.
Additionally, a drone strike in Kharkiv injured a 77-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man, according to local authorities. The southern cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson experienced power outages following the attacks.
Ukrainian air defense forces indicated that in the preceding 24 hours, Russia launched a total of 659 drones and 44 cruise and ballistic missiles, with 636 drones and 31 missiles intercepted, though direct impacts were reported in 26 locations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned this aggression on X, asserting it emphasized that sanctions against Russia should remain firm. He stated, Russia is betting on war, and that is exactly how the response should be – we must protect lives with all our might and press for peace with all our might as well.
Previously, Zelensky warned of a critical shortage of Patriot air defense missiles, which are vital for intercepting missile threats, as many resources have been diverted elsewhere.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha labeled the latest strike a war crime, pressing for intensified international measures against Moscow. He urged allies to take definitive actions to increase pressure on the aggressor.
With the war in Ukraine now in its fifth year, hopes for peace talks, which have been sluggish, are pushed further back as both sides engage in continual hostilities. The situation remains dire as Ukraine demands a stable ceasefire as a step toward negotiations.
