Russia launched its most intense aerial assault of the Ukraine war overnight into Sunday, targeting a government building in Kyiv for the first time as Moscow deployed over 800 drones along with cruise and ballistic missiles, CNN reported on Sunday.
Massive Scale: Over 800 Drones Deployed
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Moscow launched a strike involving 810 drones, four ballistic missiles, and nine cruise missiles. According to the report, while Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted most of the projectiles, 54 drones and nine missiles still found their targets across the country, in a scale that is believed to have surpassed the previous record attack in July.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko called the assault a “massive attack.” Several cities including Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Odesa – and notably Kyiv – came under fire during the onslaught.
Government Quarters Hit in Kyiv
In a first, Kyiv’s government building, which is home to Prime Minister Svyrydenko’s office and several ministries – also reportedly suffered damage from the attack.
“For the first time, the Government building, its roof, and upper floors were damaged by the enemy attacks. Rescuers are extinguishing the fire. I thank them for their work,” CNN quoted Svyrydenko as saying.
The building, the report said, is located in a sensitive zone near the parliament and presidential office.
“We will rebuild the buildings. But the lives lost cannot be brought back. Every day, the enemy terrorises and kills our people across the country,” Svyrydenko reportedly said.
Tragedy in Residential Areas
The strike’s worst-hit civilian area was Sviatoshynskyi, a western district of Kyiv wherein rescuers found the body of a baby under one apartment building’s rubble. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the child was under one-year-old and said a young woman had also lost her life.
Describing the devastation, Klitschko reportedly said, “A nine‑floor apartment building… four floors… were partially destroyed.”
The mayor also reported fires and damage to another 16‑storey building and several other blocks across Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Services reported at least 18 injured and characterised the drone strikes as a “massive attack.” Video footage, meanwhile, showed crumbled facades and rushed firefighters working amid scars of the blast.
Regional Shake-Up: Poland Alerts Its Air Defenses
Meanwhile, Poland mobilised allied aircraft and air defenses to protect its airspace after Russia’s drones reportedly flew near its border. Poland’s operational command said they had heightened radar and defense readiness to ensure safety amid the escalating conflict.
