Russia pummeled Kyiv with the largest drone and missile attack of the war on Friday, killing one person and injuring at least 23, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched a staggering 539 drones and 11 missiles overnight, terrorizing the capital from evening until dawn.
As air raid sirens wailed, families scrambled for shelter in underground metro stations. The city’s military chief confirmed a body was found in the wreckage of a strike site. The assault caused widespread damage, hitting nearly 40 apartment blocks, schools, and infrastructure, with Poland reporting that its embassy’s consular section was also damaged. Residents emerged to scenes of devastation, surveying destroyed homes and burning cars.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attack as “deliberately massive and cynical,” noting its timing immediately after the Trump-Putin call. He later spoke with President Trump, and the two agreed to work on boosting Kyiv’s air defense capabilities, a critical issue as the U.S. has paused some missile deliveries.
In a strange twist, Ukrainian officials reported finding a Chinese component in one of the downed drones. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed it hit military targets, but the brutal assault on civilian areas has intensified calls for tougher sanctions to counter what Zelenskiy called Moscow’s “dumb, destructive behavior.”
