Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine, Killing 12 Including Three Children

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

Russia launched its largest air raid since the start of the war, killing at least 12 people, including three children in the Kyiv region, as Ukrainian officials confirmed a staggering 298 drones and 69 missiles were launched in waves overnight.

The deadly assault marked the second consecutive night of intensified Russian attacks, striking cities across the country from Odesa and Dnipro to Kharkiv and Khmelnytskyi, and leaving dozens injured. Emergency services in Kyiv reported that four people died and 16 were injured during what they called a “massive night attack.”

In the Khmelnytskyi region, authorities confirmed the deaths of four civilians, with significant destruction to local infrastructure. Mykolaiv, located in the south, reported one casualty from the strikes.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly condemned the attacks, urging the United States and international community to respond with new sanctions.

Despite the assault, Zelenskyy confirmed that a major prisoner swap, agreed upon in Istanbul talks, would continue. On Saturday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners, signaling rare cooperation amid the ongoing conflict.

In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that by 3 a.m., ten people were injured, including students, after a drone strike hit a dormitory in Holosiivskyi district. A significant fire broke out after the impact.

Residents of the capital spent the early hours of Kyiv Day—normally a celebratory holiday—sheltering in bunkers, metro stations, and basements, as dozens of Russian drones swarmed the skies.

Ukrainian military authorities reported that over a dozen drones were flying above Kyiv at one point. Some were intercepted, but others managed to reach the city center, causing explosions and structural damage.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have downed 110 Ukrainian drones overnight and reported that drones flying toward Moscow were also intercepted.