Russian strikes hit Kyiv homes

Russian strikes on Kyiv in the early hours struck multiple residential buildings, killing civilians, wounding others and prompting widespread emergency response, officials said. Air-defence units engaged drones and missiles over the capital as air-raid alerts sounded; firefighters and rescue teams fought fires on upper floors of at least two high-rise apartment blocks and carried out mass evacuations. Emergency services reported one to two fatalities and several injured; dozens were rescued from damaged buildings and treated for burns, lacerations and smoke inhalation.

A residential tower in the Desnianskyi district suffered severe damage and partial collapse after being hit by a combination of drones and missiles, triggering prolonged search-and-rescue operations. Teams used heavy machinery and manual labor to remove concrete slabs and twisted metal while engineers assessed whether remaining sections were stable enough to continue recovery work. Crews recovered a body after hours of work and continued to search for others reported missing. Witnesses described chaotic scenes: cars destroyed in courtyards, balconies torn away and streets littered with debris as residents recounted being thrown from their beds or fleeing down smoke-filled stairwells.

In the city centre’s Pechersk district, a high-rise residential building also sustained damage across multiple floors before firefighters brought the blaze under control. Drone fragments were reported falling in eastern districts, and officials said power and water services were disrupted in some areas. Many residents sought shelter in metro stations and other protected locations during the alerts as authorities urged continued vigilance and compliance with air-raid warnings.

Local leaders condemned the strikes as deliberate attacks on civilian housing, asserting there were no military targets in the affected neighborhoods and warning that repeated strikes on residential areas are displacing thousands and placing mounting strain on emergency services and humanitarian resources with winter approaching. Psychological support teams were deployed to assist families searching for missing relatives and to aid those traumatized by the attacks.

International partners denounced the strikes and reiterated calls for enhanced air-defence assistance to help protect Ukrainian cities from long-range missile and drone campaigns. City officials and the military administration emphasized the need for sustained support as they continue search-and-rescue, recovery and restoration efforts while grappling with the humanitarian and infrastructural fallout of the strikes.