Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Kyiv early Thursday, just hours after a rare daytime attack earlier on Wednesday.
The attack killed at least five people and injured 16 others, the head of Kyiv’s military administration Tymur Tkachenko reported on Telegram, warning citizens to stay in shelters.
The airstrikes targeted several districts of Kyiv, damaging multiple residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
In the Darnytsia district, a residential building partially collapsed, trapping several people under the rubble.
“A search and rescue operation is underway in the Darnytskyi district,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. At least 10 people were rescued, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service.
Fallen drone debris sparked a fire on the roof of a five-storey residential building in the Dniprovskyi district, Klitschko said. In the Obolonskyi district, debris struck a 12-storey apartment and sparked a fire. Other debris also fell onto a non-residential building, a three-storey parking lot, and a business centre, he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow launched a massive day time aerial attack with over 800 drones, killing at least six people.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow launched its drones “in waves,” deliberately targeting regions closest to the borders of NATO countries.
According to Ukrainian officials and rescue services, western regions of Ukraine have been hit as well as the rest of the country.
Until recently, Russia had mainly carried out mass drone and missile strikes at night.
But the tactic seems to have changed in March-April, when Moscow switched to a daytime assault strategy.
According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War, the new Russian tactic—combining a major night time strike with an equally heavy daytime assault—is likely to increase damage to Ukrainian civilians.
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