At least two people were killed and 13 others injured after a deadly overnight drone strike targeted Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, officials confirmed early Thursday, marking one of the most intense aerial assaults in recent weeks. The Ukrainian military reported that Russian drones targeted six districts of the city during the hours-long onslaught. Fires broke out across multiple neighbourhoods, including Shevchenkivskyi and Podilskyi districts, damaging residential buildings, warehouses, vehicles, and a primary healthcare centre. 

"Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouses, office and non-residential buildings are burning," said Kyiv’s military administration head Tymur Tkachenko in a statement posted on Telegram. “Unfortunately, we have two dead. These people were killed by the Russians. This is a terrible loss.” The attack came just days after Ukraine reported what it described as the largest aerial offensive since the start of the war, with 728 drones and 13 missiles launched in coordinated waves across the country. 

Kyiv authorities said the wreckage of a downed drone struck the roof of a building in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. Dramatic footage circulating on social media—yet to be verified independently—appeared to show explosions lighting up the night sky as Ukrainian air defences responded. In the Podilsky district, a primary healthcare facility was “almost completely destroyed,” Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in a separate statement. Authorities urged residents to remain in shelters until air raid sirens were lifted and to keep windows shut due to heavy smoke lingering in the city. 

Ukraine's air force issued a broader warning overnight, cautioning of further drone activity in multiple regions. As of Thursday morning, no confirmed reports of casualties outside Kyiv had been issued. Russia’s defence ministry has yet to comment on the latest attack.Late on Wednesday, Ukraine’s emergency service DSNS reported that three civilians were killed in a separate Russian air strike in Kostiantynivka, a town located near the front lines in eastern Ukraine. The escalation in strikes comes as international support continues to flow into Ukraine, albeit cautiously.

According to Reuters, the United States resumed sending limited weapons supplies earlier this week, after briefly halting the shipment of some critical air defence systems.In a separate development, former US President Donald Trump expressed frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behaviour, despite what he termed as “polite gestures” in diplomatic exchanges. “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

 Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded by saying that Moscow remained “pretty calm” about the remarks, describing Trump’s rhetoric as characteristically “harsh.” Despite repeated contact between the two leaders, no concrete steps have yet been taken toward a ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump, who once claimed he could end the war within a day of taking office, has so far refrained from imposing new sanctions on Moscow since returning to office in January.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)