Russia pummels Kyiv with drones and missiles, killing at least 15

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KYIV, Ukraine — One of the largest Russian attacks in months killed at least 15 people, mostly in Ukraine’s capital, injuring nearly 100 and severely damaging several apartment buildings. Rescue workers are digging through the rubble for survivors.

The attack lasted for more than nine hours overnight. Amid the constant crackle of Kyiv’s air defenses, NPR’s bureau heard the moped-like buzzing sound of drones for hours, and, briefly, a missile’s whistling screech.

Other parts of Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Odesa in the south, Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, Zhytomyr in the west and Chernihiv in the north.

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In a post on Telegram, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 280 attack drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles, with most aimed at Kyiv.

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In recent weeks, Russia has been sending swarms of drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and then following up with ballistic missiles, which are harder to shoot down. Kyiv residents heard explosions throughout the night as Ukraine’s air defense units shot down most of the aerial weapons.

As the sun rose in Kyiv, the air smelled burnt as thick plumes of smoke rose from parts of the city.

On social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “one of the most horrifying strikes on Kyiv.”

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At least a dozen sites were struck, many of them residential buildings, including a direct hit by a ballistic missile on a nine-story apartment building, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

Videos and photos posted by Ukrainian authorities showed part of a high-rise apartment complex collapsed into rubble. Emergency workers are trying to pull survivors from the ruins.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, wrote on social media that the death toll could rise and that a 62-year-old American citizen was also found dead , though it’s not clear if he was killed during the strike. Klitschko also said that emergency workers have found cluster munitions, which can pose a long-term danger to civilians when they don’t explode on impact.

The attack came as Zelenskyy prepared for the G7 summit in Canada, where he is pushing for stronger sanctions on Russia.

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The Trump administration’s efforts to start peace negotiations have failed so far. Russia has refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire to pave the way for peace talks and has instead stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities.

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Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet Trump on the sidelines of the G7 but Trump left the summit early as Israel and Iran trade attacks .

“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media about Russia’s overnight assault. “And the whole world, the USA and Europe must finally react the way a civilized society reacts to terrorists.”

Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv for months flattens part of apartment block

9 minutes ago Share Save Joel Gunter BBC News Reporting from Kyiv Jessica Rawnsley BBC News Reporting from London Share Save

Russian drone strikes Kyiv tower block and other sites in capital hit overnight

Russia has carried out a mass missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 100 others, officials say. A drone smashed into an apartment block, destroying dozens of flats and Ukraine’s interior minister said the country had been hit by 440 drones and 32 missiles. Officials said initially that 15 people had died in the capital, but later revised the number down to 10, with another two fatalities in the southern port city of Odesa. The attack overnight into Tuesday was among the biggest on the capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale war and President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “one of the most terrifying strikes”.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complexes and that all its targets had been hit. The strikes on Kyiv lasted more than nine hours – sending residents fleeing to underground shelters from before midnight until after sunrise. Officials said a ballistic missile hit a nine-storey apartment building in one district, with a total of 27 locations in the city coming under fire. An entrance to the building in the southwestern Solomyanskyi district came crashing down and there were concerns the number of casualties could rise. A 62-year-old US citizen was among those killed, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Reuters It is one of the largest bombardments of the capital since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion

Standing in front of the remains of the building, Klitschko said more than 40 apartments had been destroyed and more people might be trapped under the rubble. He accused Russia of firing cluster bomblets filled with ball bearings to kill as many people as possible. “Waking up in utter nightmare: people trapped under rubble and full buildings collapsed,” Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko wrote on X. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that a variety of buildings had come under Russian attack, including residential, critical infrastructure and educational facilities. People were still under the rubble by late afternoon and rescue work was going on at two sites, he said. Klymenko explained that initial mistakes made in counting the dead often happened because body parts were wrongly identified. Loud explosions rocked the city in the early hours of Tuesday, along with the rattle of the machine guns used by mobile Ukrainian air defence units to shoot down drones. More sirens later in the morning disrupted rescue operations in the city, hampering emergency workers searching the rubble for survivors. Russia has intensified its air attacks against Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, with a tactic of sending large waves of drones and decoys designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Kyiv has launched attacks of its own, as direct talks between the warring sides failed to secure a ceasefire or significant breakthrough. Russia accused Ukrainian forces of launching a missile strike on a district in occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, and Russia-appointed officials said at least 10 people had been hurt. A reported 147 Ukrainian drones were shot down over nine Russian regions overnight, Russian news agencies said.

Reuters Kyiv was hit by a barrage of strikes overnight into Tuesday

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Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new details emerge.

At least 10 people have been killed and 124 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.

Ukraine’s National Police initially reported 15 fatalities, but Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later revised the figure to 10.

He noted that operational data may change, as body parts found during rescue efforts can be mistakenly recorded as multiple victims.

The almost nine-hour-long attack saw Moscow’s forces launch large numbers of kamikaze attack drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital.

Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported the sounds of drones, missiles, and multiple rounds of explosions throughout the night.

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. The strike primarily targeted Kyiv.

Ukraine’s air defense forces reportedly destroyed 428 air targets, including 239 Shahed drones and 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles. Air defenses also intercepted one Kinzhal missile, while another was reportedly lost from radar tracking.

15 people have been killed and at least 124 people have been injured, according to the latest reports.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault “one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv,” saying more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched across Ukraine overnight.

“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” he said in a statement on social media. “And the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists.”

Local residents react look on rescuers conduct a search and rescue work in a heavily damaged residential building following the Russian missile strike in Kyiv on June 17, 2025 (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Zelensky confirmed that damage had been reported in eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency workers still searching for survivors beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment block.

In a video posted on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said cluster munitions had been found in one area of the city. He later added that June 18 would be an official day of mourning in Kyiv.

Many of the deaths and injuries occured when a Russian missile hit a nine-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district, “completely destroying” one section, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

“I saw the missile because it was low,” Olena Kushnirova, a 46-year-old nurse who lives in a neighboring building to the one that was hit, told the Kyiv Independent.

“I grabbed my daughter by the hand and shouted ‘run!’ It was literally 15 seconds. We ran to the toilet and it then there was a very powerful explosion.”

During the attack on the capital, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen died in the Solomianskyi district in a building across from where medics were assisting the injured, Klitschko reported. Medical personnel confirmed biological death.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack, calling it a “massive and brutal strike” timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit.

“Putin does this on purpose… He sends a signal of total disrespect to the United States and other partners who have called for an end to the killing,” Sybiha said. “Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong.”

A partially destroyed residential building in Kyiv after a mass Russian missile and drone attack overnight on June 17 (Katya Denisova/The Kyiv Independent)

A Russian drone also hit a multi-storey building Darnytskyi District.

“At first there was shock,” Tatiana Bratus, a 50-year-old resident of the building told the Kyiv Independent.

“People started running outside, shouting, some in panic, because the attack wasn’t over yet. They said there were still rockets flying. People ran to the bomb shelter.

A kindergarten in the Darnytskyi district was also damaged, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration said. No casualties were reported at the site.

The upper floors of residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts were also damaged.

A dormitory at the Kyiv Aviation Institute was hit by drones during the attack, the news outlet Suspilne reported. Drones struck the institute’s 10th floor and broke windows on three others.

Outside the capital, the attacks also caused damage and injured civilians in Kyiv Oblast towns. At least one woman was injured and multiple homes damaged, according to the regional administration.

The Russian strike damaged the production facility of Fahrenheit, a Ukrainian clothing manufacturer that supplies apparel and undergarments for both civilians and the military. The company announced it was forced to cancel all current orders and suspend new ones indefinitely following the destruction of its Kyiv site.

Russian forces also hit a Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) freight train carrying grain. Several railcars overturned, temporarily halting operations and spilling grain from the damaged wagons. Ukrzaliznytsia said the damage would be “promptly repaired” and train traffic would not be affected.

Ukrposhta, Ukraine’s national postal service, reported the destruction of two of its branches in Kyiv during the attack, according to CEO Ihor Smiliansky. The company’s team is working to “quickly restore services,” he said.

The attack followed a series of drone strikes overnight on June 16 targeting Kyiv Oblast, including both the capital and surrounding settlements. In the Obukhiv district, a 60-year-old man was injured, according to regional authorities.

Russian attacks against Ukraine have intensified in May and June, with Moscow launching several record-breaking mass strikes against Kyiv and other cities.

June 17 (UPI) — At least 15 people were killed and more than 100 injured in Kyiv overnight during an eight-hour long airborne assault by Russian forces, which fired scores of missiles and drones at the Ukrainian capital, authorities said.

Many of the fatalities were in missile strikes on three high rise apartment buildings that collapsed or partially collapsed in Solomianskyi and another central district Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said in a update on social media.

“This night in Kyiv and its surroundings the enemy used 175 drones, more than 14 cruise missiles and at least two ballistic missiles. The nature of the damage — direct hits on residential buildings. Missiles — from the upper floors to the basement. We are dealing with a complete enemy,” he wrote.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram account that a U.S. citizen, a male age 62, also died in Solomianskyi district in a house opposite where medics were providing assistance to the victims from the partial collapse of a nine-story apartment building. It was unclear if he died of natural causes, or from enemy action.

Three deaths had been confirmed in Darnytsia district on the left bank of the Dnieper River, he added.

Wides swathes of the city came under attack with than two dozen areas sustaining damage, with serious damage in eight districts.

In a video posted online, Klitschko claimed cluster munitions had been found in one area of the city. Use or development of cluster munitions are banned under a 2008 international treaty ratified by 111 countries, although Russia is not one of them. Neither is Ukraine or United States.

Surrounding areas of the capital were also targeted with at least two people reported injured.

At least one person, a 60 year-old woman, was killed and 17 people were injured in a drone strike on the southwestern city of Odessa, according to the regional leader, Gov. Oleh Kiper, who said one woman was missing, feared dead.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the number of injured in Kyiv, Odessa and elsewhere was rising as search and rescue efforts continued with emergency personnel working flat out at all sites of impact.

Zelensky said that in total more than 440 drones and 30 missiles had been used in the attacks which also targeted five other provinces.

“Kyiv has faced one of the most horrific attacks. Also, overnight, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions were attacked. Such attacks are pure terrorism. And the whole world, the United States and Europe, must finally respond as a civilized society responds to terrorists.

“Putin does this solely because he can afford to continue the war. He wants the war to go on. It is wrong when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to it. We are in contact with all partners at every possible level to ensure an appropriate response. It is the terrorists who must feel the pain, not innocent peaceful people,” said Zelensky.

Overnight Russia hit Kyiv with a massive missile and drone strike killing at least 15 people leaving 114 injured.

Moscow launched an attack which lasted for nine hours which involved cruise and ballistic missiles and drones throughout the night.

People have said the ground was “physically shaking” as result of the heavy pounding of the missiles with loud explosions ringing out across the capital city.

Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 472 weapons overnight including 280 Iranian made Shahed drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Ukraine’s air defence forces destroyed 428 aerial weapons and shot down 239 Shahed drones.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the overnight attack was “one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv,” adding, “such attacks are pure terrorism.”

Zelensky wrote on social media, “the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists.

Olena Kushnirova, told the Kyiv Independent, “I saw the missile because it was low.

“I grabbed my daughter by the hand and shouted ‘run!’ It was literally 15 seconds. We ran to the toilet and then there was a very powerful explosion.”

A multi-storey building in the Darnytskyi District was hit by a Russian drone, a resident told the Kyiv Independent, “At first there was shock.

“People started running outside, shouting, some in panic, because the attack wasn’t over yet. They said there were still rockets flying. People ran to the bomb shelter.”

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the Russian attack as a “massive and brutal strike.”

He added, “Putin does this on purpose… He sends a signal of total disrespect to the US and other partners who have called for an end to the killing.

“Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong.”