Russia Launches Deadly 11-Hour Assault on Kyiv, Killing 20 as Ukraine Strikes Moscow’s Oil Infrastructure
KYIV: Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone assault on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more after Ukrainian forces struck oil facilities deep inside Russia.
The attack lasted around 11 hours, with waves of drones and missiles targeting multiple districts across Kyiv. Residential apartment buildings, civilian infrastructure, and other facilities were damaged as emergency crews searched through the rubble for survivors.
Russian officials said the strikes were retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure, including facilities near Moscow. Ukraine has increasingly targeted refineries, fuel depots, and logistics hubs in an effort to disrupt Russia's military supply chain.
At the same time, Ukrainian forces reportedly carried out fresh strikes against Russia's oil sector, underscoring Kyiv's strategy of taking the war beyond the front lines by targeting critical energy assets that support Moscow's military operations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack and renewed calls for Western allies to accelerate deliveries of advanced air defense systems, particularly Patriot missile batteries, saying stronger defenses are essential to protect civilians from increasingly intense Russian aerial assaults.
The latest exchange marks another sharp escalation in the more than four-year war, with both sides expanding long-range strikes against strategic infrastructure while prospects for renewed peace negotiations remain uncertain.