Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified aerial assaults on Ukraine, launching a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv just a day after United States President Donald Trump publicly criticised him and expressed frustration over stalled diplomacy.
A massive overnight aerial assault struck Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least two people and injuring 16, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed.
He said the barrage involved 18 missiles and around 400 drones, with the majority targeting the capital.
Kyiv authorities reported that drone debris struck the roof of a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, sparking fires across the city.
Residents were forced to shelter for three hours as missiles and drones filled the night sky, triggering air defences and explosions. Unverified footage on social media captured the chaotic scenes.
The attack came just after what Ukrainian officials had described as Russia’s largest aerial offensive the night before, during which 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles hit multiple cities.
In the early hours of Thursday, Ukrainian police said eight Kyiv districts were affected by Russian drone strikes.
“Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouses, office and non-residential buildings are burning,” said administration head Tymur Tkachenko via Telegram.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the deaths of a 68-year-old woman and a 22-year-old police officer. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported that a primary healthcare centre in the Podilsky district was “almost completely destroyed.”
Authorities urged residents to remain in shelters until the all-clear was given and to keep windows closed due to heavy smoke in the city. It remained unclear whether other parts of the country suffered casualties.
While Russia’s military has yet to comment on the attacks, Zelensky said: “Russia is obviously stepping up terror. It is necessary to be faster with sanctions and pressure Russia so that it feels the outcomes of its own terror. Our partners need to act faster investing in weapons production and developing tech.”
He added that he would speak with partners on Thursday regarding additional funding for interceptor drones and air defence systems.
The escalating violence highlights the bleak prospects for diplomacy. Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, stated on Wednesday that diplomatic efforts had been exhausted. Echoing this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently made similar remarks.
Meanwhile, President Trump voiced frustration with Putin’s behaviour. “We get a lot of bull–– thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Peskov downplayed Trump’s comments, saying, “Trump’s way of talking is generally quite harsh, the phrases he uses,” and added that Moscow was “pretty calm about this.”
Despite frequent communication between Trump and Putin, no progress has been made towards a ceasefire. Trump, who once claimed he could end the war in a day, has yet to impose sanctions on Russia, although he continues to threaten them.
A bipartisan bill progressing through Congress could introduce penalties for nations like China and India that purchase Russian oil and gas — a move Trump said he might support.
Attention among Ukraine’s allies has returned to bolstering defences and sanctioning Moscow. A new EU sanctions package is under discussion and is expected to be a key topic at a two-day Ukraine recovery conference in Rome starting Thursday, with delegates from 77 countries in attendance.
With the frequency and scale of Russian drone strikes increasing, efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s airspace protection are likely to dominate the agenda. Later on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a summit in Malaysia.
Putin began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
