KYIV, Ukraine – A massive Russian aerial bombardment lasting over 12 hours killed at least four people and injured 70 others across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, including a 12-year-old girl in the capital, Kyiv.
Russia’s air force reportedly launched nearly 600 drones and several dozen missiles targeting seven regions, including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa. Ukrainian authorities reported attacks on civilian infrastructure such as apartment buildings, a bakery, an automobile rubber factory, and the city’s Institute of Cardiology, where a nurse and patient were killed.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed 31 injuries, including three children, two boys aged 11 and 12, and a nine-year-old girl. In Sumy, a 59-year-old man died from missile strikes in the past 24 hours.
Zelensky condemned the attack as “vile,” stating it shows Moscow “wants to continue fighting and killing,” and vowed Ukraine would retaliate. He urged Europe and the United States to respond strongly, reiterating support for harsher sanctions on Russia and calls to curb Russian energy imports.
The attack coincided with the UN General Assembly week, highlighting the ongoing escalation in Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its third year.
Neighboring countries are also feeling the effects. Poland scrambled jets early Sunday after Russian strikes in western Ukraine, following recent drone incursions into Denmark, Estonia, and Romania. NATO has since strengthened its eastern flank. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated to the UN that Moscow has no intention of attacking EU or NATO member states but warned of a “decisive response” to any aggression against Russia.
Zelensky emphasized that Russia’s attacks are not limited to Ukraine, warning that Moscow is testing European air defenses with these incursions, signaling heightened regional tensions.