Ukraine endured one of its most sustained air assaults in months on Saturday night, as Russian forces unleashed a 12-hour bombardment that killed at least four people and injured more than 70, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The attacks, which involved nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles across seven regions, struck hardest in Kyiv, where the victims included a 12-year-old girl. Emergency services confirmed that a nurse and a patient were killed when the city’s Institute of Cardiology was hit. Other strikes damaged a bakery, an automobile rubber factory, apartment blocks, and critical infrastructure.
“This vile attack shows Moscow’s only intention is to continue fighting and killing,” Zelensky declared in a late-night address, vowing that Ukraine would retaliate.
Russian officials claimed the strikes were aimed at military facilities and industrial enterprises that support Ukraine’s armed forces. Kyiv dismissed those assertions, pointing to the civilian toll.
Residents of the capital described a familiar but harrowing rhythm as air raid sirens wailed from 22:00 GMT onwards, followed by the crackle of anti-aircraft fire and explosions. Ukraine’s air alert app urged people to remain in shelters, issuing multiple warnings as wave after wave of drones descended.
For many Ukrainians, the pattern has become grimly routine: weekend nights punctuated by the whine of incoming drones and the thunder of interceptors. But the scale of this latest assault—both in duration and intensity—left residents shaken.
Emergency workers spent Sunday clearing rubble and treating the wounded, while investigators documented damage across seven regions. In Kyiv alone, dozens of residential buildings were reported damaged, leaving families displaced as temperatures begin to drop.
The assault underscores the Kremlin’s reliance on drone and missile barrages to sap Ukraine’s air defenses and morale, even as Western allies rush to supply more anti-air systems. Zelensky, in his statement, urged international partners to accelerate support.
“Every delay costs lives,” he said. “The world must understand: Russia wants this war to last forever. Ukraine does not.”
Africa Digital News, New York
