At least 21 people were killed and more than 90 were injured after a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russia plans to launch a massive strike on Ukrainian soil and wrote, "We know that Putin has been preparing a massive strike against Ukraine for some time." He said this came after a drone strike that hit a major communications center in Moscow and cut short a diplomatic visit to Ireland after receiving intelligence that an attack was imminent.
Ukraine's air force said Russia used 74 missiles and 496 drones in the assault and that most of the drones were intercepted, though about a quarter of the missiles still struck targets in and around the capital.
Officials said more than 20 sites across Kyiv were hit, including residential apartment blocks, a hotel, a research institute and an ambulance station. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a nine-story residential building collapsed in the Desnyanskyi district, leaving people trapped inside, and that a roof was on fire at a multi-story residential building in Holosiivskyi district while a hotel roof burned in Shevchenkivskyi district. Air raid sirens sounded for hours and many residents sheltered underground in metro stations.
Emergency services deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath, and rescue teams continued searching damaged buildings for survivors. Officials warned the final casualty figures may still rise.
Zelensky asked Washington for a license to make Patriot missiles, calling air defense supplies "an absolute necessity," and urged allies for more support. He also told U.S. officials to "save Ukrainian lives" and said, "Ukrainians will win this war," renewing pleas for support from partners including the U.S. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Ukraine's allies to strengthen the country's air defenses and urged partners not to delay decisions on supplying air defense systems and missiles.
A new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said troop casualties in the war — missing, killed and wounded — had surpassed 2 million, including as many as 600,000 deaths, and said Russian casualties amount to 1.4 million while Ukrainian forces have suffered 525,000 to 625,000 casualties.
Ukrainian strikes have also hit targets inside Russia, including oil facilities, weapons factories, convoys and warplanes, and repeated attacks on refineries have contributed to fuel shortages, with at least one strike in Moscow sending residents scrambling and producing what was described as "black rain."
Zelensky has claimed Russia relocated the bulk of its air defenses to cover key areas, like central Moscow and a presidential residence, leaving other targets exposed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged "problems" and "certain shortages" related to the strikes.
Zelensky said Ukraine was launching a 40-day operation intended to force Russia to the negotiating table.
Clips shared on social media showed Fire Point-made Flamingo missiles striking targets, including the Titan-Barrikady plant where Russian artillery systems are made, and a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies report said Kyiv has "dramatically taken the war to Russian territory in 2026" by orchestrating short-, medium- and long-range strikes that aim to disrupt Russian logistics and supplies.
Russian forces were reported to be still attempting to push forward along the front lines in Donetsk despite heavy casualties.