Putin hits back: Russia pounds Kyiv days after Ukrainian drone attacks destroy bombers
Russia launched an intense barrage of missiles and drones on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday, killing at least three people in Kyiv and injuring dozens more across the country. Moscow has described the attack as a retaliatory strike against recent Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russian territory.
The Kremlin confirmed the overnight assault came in response to what it called Kyiv's 'acts of terrorism,' following an attack last weekend in which Ukrainian drones destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bomber aircraft stationed at airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan regions. Ukrainian intelligence operatives reportedly used quadrocopter drones concealed in wooden sheds to carry out the strikes—some of the most audacious in the three-year-old war.
President Vladimir Putin had warned of retaliation during a phone call with US President Donald Trump earlier in the week. Following the call, Trump said the Kremlin was preparing a response to the attacks on the Russian air bases.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed the same. He told reporters on Friday, 'Everything that is taking place within the framework of the special military operation (in Ukraine), everything that is being done by our military on a daily basis, is a response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, which has acquired all the characteristics of a terrorist regime.'
On Friday, Russia's Defence Ministry said its armed forces had 'carried out a massive strike overnight with long-range air, sea and land-based precision weapons.' The strikes, it said, targeted 'Ukrainian design bureaus, enterprises for the production and repair of weapons and military equipment, assembly workshops for strike drones, flight training centres, and Ukrainian armed forces weapons and military equipment depots.'
'The objective of the strike was achieved. All designated targets were hit,' the ministry said.
Kyiv's military administration confirmed that three first responders were killed when they arrived at the scene of a strike in the capital. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said they were killed by a subsequent explosion.
'Overnight, Russia 'responded' to its destroyed aircraft… by attacking civilians in Ukraine…. Multi-storey buildings hit. Energy infrastructure damaged,' Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 49 people had been injured nationwide and renewed his call for stronger Western action against Moscow. 'If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives – that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively,' he posted on X.
Russia's overnight assault used 407 drones—one of the largest single-day drone barrage in the conflict to date—along with 45 cruise and ballistic missiles, Ukraine's air force reported.
In Kyiv, powerful explosions rattled buildings and shattered windows, as residents sheltered in underground metro stations and car parks. The city's metro system was temporarily disrupted after a Russian strike damaged tracks between stations, while the national rail company diverted some train services due to infrastructure damage.
A drone slammed into a residential apartment block in the capital's Solomianskyi district, leaving a gaping hole in the building's facade. A Reuters photographer reported seeing scorched walls and crushed cars below, as police investigators examined debris that appeared to be part of the drone's engine.
Beyond the capital, Russia struck multiple regions. In Ternopil, western Ukraine, Russian forces targeted industrial sites, leaving parts of the city without electricity. Mayor Serhii Nadal confirmed 10 people were injured, and local authorities warned residents to stay indoors due to toxic air resulting from fires.
In Lutsk, a northwestern city, 15 people were wounded when missiles struck residential areas, a government building, and educational institutions, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military confirmed it had launched a pre-emptive strike overnight on the Engels and Dyagilevo airfields—the same ones hit last weekend—as well as targeting three Russian fuel storage depots.
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