At least eight killed in major missile and drone strikes on Kyiv

Russian forces have launched a major drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight, killing at least eight people, officials say.

Several neighbourhoods were evacuated as strikes rocked buildings throughout the city, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was preparing for a “massive” attack.

Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s ​military administration, said eight people had been killed and 25 injured.

“The enemy is once again deliberately targeting residential areas and killing civilians. We have very serious damage and a significant number of casualties, including children,” he said in the early hours of Thursday.

Poland has also activated fighter jets to protect its airspace, describing it as a “preventative” measure. There are no reports of attacks on Polish territory.

“These actions are of a preventive nature and are aimed at securing and protecting the airspace, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened regions,” Poland’s military wrote on X.

Poland is a member of Nato, a signatory to the military alliance’s Article 5 provision that states “an armed attack against one Nato member shall be considered an attack against them all”.

In Kyiv, tracer fire from air defence systems could be spotted lighting up the night sky, and explosions from drones, cruise and ballistic missiles were heard.

Multiple fires have broken out across the city and damage was reported at an ambulance station in the city, which left at least one person critically injured.

It is the first large-scale missile and drone strike by Russia on Ukraine in more than a two weeks.

On Wednesday, Zelensky cut short his visit to Dublin after he said fresh intelligence had emerged suggesting that Moscow was planning to strike Ukraine.

“I urge our people to be especially careful, to protect themselves, their children, and, of course, their families,” he said.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time now”.

Russian troops recently advanced into the city of Kostyantynivka, one of Ukraine’s last key bulwarks in the east. If Moscow secures the city, it would provide a gateway to the entire Donbas region.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian commanders say they have recaptured more territory this year than they have lost, disrupting Moscow’s crucial supply lines between the Russian border and occupied Crimea.

The war has otherwise stalled for months with each side’s troops largely entrenched in their positions.

Russia controls approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, mostly seized in the first few months of its full-scale invasion in February, 2022.