KYIV, Sept. 28 – Russia carried out one of the most sustained attacks on Ukraine’s capital and other regions early Sunday, sending hundreds of drones and missiles across the country, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian authorities said.
Poland temporarily closed its airspace near two southeastern cities, with jets scrambled until the threat subsided. Ukraine’s military reported that 595 drones and 48 missiles were launched overnight, with its air defences intercepting 568 drones and 43 missiles. Officials noted Kyiv bore the brunt of the attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strikes, which lasted more than 12 hours, caused significant damage to residential buildings, factories, and a cardiology clinic. “The time for decisive action is long overdue, and we count on a strong response from the United States, Europe, the G7, and the G20,” he said on Telegram, reiterating his call for measures to cut off Russia’s energy revenues that fund its war.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed the operation targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure using long-range air and sea-based weapons, including drones, while denying civilian targets were intended. Despite these claims, thousands of civilians have been killed and residential areas extensively damaged since the war began.
Residents of Kyiv awoke to explosions, overhead drones, and booming air defences. Smoke from one of the strikes lingered in the morning sky as the air raid alert ended at 9:13 a.m. local time, nearly seven hours after it started. Reuters journalists visiting a Kyiv suburb described rows of newly built homes destroyed and vehicles flattened by debris. Many residents sifted through the rubble of apartment blocks after windows were blown out, while others sought refuge in metro stations, following updates on their phones.
The scale of Sunday’s attacks has further strained Ukraine’s limited air defence capabilities. Zelenskiy noted that Israel had recently deployed an additional Patriot missile system, with two more expected this autumn. Ukrainian officials continue to request more international support, while other nations prioritize bolstering their own defences amid ongoing perceived threats from Russia.
Authorities reported that several regions, including the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, were also hit, leaving at least 16 people injured there. Emergency services confirmed at least four fatalities nationwide and 67 wounded. Among the dead was reportedly a 12-year-old girl, though this has not been officially verified, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram.
