Russia launched missile and drone strikes on Kyiv early Saturday, killing one person and injuring 27 others, just a day before planned talks between Ukraine and the U.S., local authorities said. Explosions rang out across the city for hours, targeting energy infrastructure and residential areas.
The strikes coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s preparation to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday to discuss security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Russian Defense Ministry described the attacks as a “massive strike” using long-range precision-guided weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, as well as drones aimed at Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and energy infrastructure. Russia claimed the strikes were retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attacks on civilian sites within its territory.
Poland temporarily scrambled fighter jets and closed airports near the Ukrainian border during the attacks, although no airspace violations were reported. Zelenskyy said Russia launched nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, mostly striking energy and civilian infrastructure, leaving some areas without electricity or heating. Several residential buildings were damaged, with emergency crews rescuing people from rubble. Two children were among the wounded, and fires broke out in multiple districts, including Dnipro, Darnytsia, Obolonskyi, and Holosiivsky. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed one person was found dead under the debris, and residents recounted harrowing experiences as explosions hit their neighborhoods.
Emergency services in the wider Kyiv region reported damage to both industrial and residential buildings, with one person rescued from a collapsed house in Vyshhorod. The strikes highlighted escalating violence even as diplomatic efforts were underway to negotiate an end to the nearly four-year-long conflict.
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